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How I reduced my body odor

Publié le par Charly Cross

through my diet.

 

Disclaimer: the drawings are mine. I signed them with my previous blog and author identities.

Hello there.

 

Everyone has body odor. It is one of the things humans and animals have in common. The body odor is used by animals and by humans for different purposes:

 

  • to recognize one another - this is why dogs bark at strangers: they don't recognize their scent.
  • to select a mate - be honest: how many times have you been attracted to a person whose BO you disliked?         I thought so
  • to identify an ailment - sure, not all illnesses will change your BO, but some do.

 

However, as mean or racial as this sounds like, based on your race, you may smell more than other people. In case you didn't know, East Asian people are the ones with least body odor on the planet. Among them, Koreans take the cake.

 

 

Of course, genetics also play an important role in how a person smells like naturally. Science showed us how some inactive genes mean that the person will have minimal body odor. These inactive genes can be found in some non-East Asian people. There are many other websites out there with better, in depth information on why we have body odor.

 

But this is not all there is to the BO we dislike so much:

 

What we eat, and sometimes the medicine we take also alters our body's odor, and how strong it is. What I wanted to talk about was how my diet helped me reduce my body's bad odor.

 

Now, remember:

 

I still have unpleasant body odor and I still sweat, so my BO is NOT completely gone. It is simply reduced, meaning while I still smell, it is not as strong as bad as it used to be!

 

 

The first thing you need to know is that I have bad stomach burns when I eat certain foods, especially spicy or fried stuff. What I did was to reduce to a minimum these types of foods. That's because, let's be honest:  they are yummy! You might think that this has nothing to do with how a person smells like, but it does!

 

Think about kimchi, pickles, or sour cabbage: they're delicious, right? But, don't they have some strong scent about them? Well, that scent is carried inside your stomach through the food itself, then it passes into your blood, and then to all of your body's cells, including the skin. The skin sweats, and that sweat contains remnants of the stinky food you had. Do your biology homework, and see that I'm right! - or use your common sense-

 

Secondly, all that fried oil is full of toxins:  the more toxins you put in your system, the more bad body odor you release. Related to these toxins, I also gave up eating processed meats like hotdogs, sausages, and salamis. Ever checked to discover the real ingredients in these things? All I have to say is EWWW!

 

Then, I gave up touching and consuming garlic and onion. O_O YES! These 2 beloved aromatic plants were the ones guilty of most of my bad body odor. ;-; You know how bad your hands smell like after you peel and chop an onion bare handed? I dare you: try it out!

 

You probably have one question in mind right now:

How do you know garlic and onion made you smell bad? The answer is so easy, you won't believe it!

 

After a few months of not eating these things I randomly had them is some dishes I got from relatives. They had cooked more food than they could eat and they shared it with me. They didn't know I was 'dieting' and therefore not eating some of the ingredients. Any ways, I'm not the person to throw away foods without even trying them out.

 

 

I forgot if they had only onion (I know for sure they had onion, as my relatives never cook without it), or if there was some garlic in there too. In any case, the next day I could feel a strange scent around me, before showering. The feeling was BIZARRE, haha. It took me several minutes the culprit was my body!

 

Sadly, I could feel the scent even after showering! I felt it until the next day! I am not sure if by then I got used to it or it was gone. :/ What I do know is that I did throw away the left over food I received. Since then, I pay even more attention to what I eat.

 

 

Now don't get me wrong: I also don't eat onion and garlic because they're bad for my stomach. I was never OK after eating them: I would either throw up without wanting or suffer with stomach burns. I thought it was normal, because I imagined everyone was feeling that and they just wouldn't talk about it. :(

 

Later on, or better said, in the recent years I found out I was wrong.

 

In any case, reducing or eliminating foods that cause a bad body scent is not enough. You will still sweat, I know I do, and it still is unpleasant. I still need a good deodorant, though I prefer a good antiperspirant. Showering daily is something that should be a given and not even mentioned, along with making sure to wear clean clothes. Of course, this can't apply to those who consider water as a luxury.

 

I recently learned that  Japanese people, I believe it is mostly the ladies doing this, carry wet napkins [handkerchiefs] with them every day and everywhere they go. Apparently, they use it to remove excessive sweat, refresh and cool their bodies, and to clean their hands when needed. I think my summer bag will be a bit fuller this year.

 

How about you: What do you do to keep nasty body odor at bay? Let me know what you think in the comments below!

 


©Charly Cross 2013 - present. All rights reserved.

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On body shaming - stop this behavior!

Publié le par Charly Cross

We all have issues with the way we look. We can never be happy with the bodies we got from Mother Nature.

 

We always want to modify something about it: hair color and type, eye color, get longer legs, bigger boobs or bottoms. Everything can go under the knife. And if we're labeled fat, or anything over that, we have to lose weight. WHY?

 

Because society got brainwashed by pretty looking images seen in movies and ads in which people on the slender side, were featured. They were portrayed as happy and functional. Now everyone seems to associate "happiness," "being functional," and being "thin" or "slender." Anything else means we failed.

 

I have an average looking body, and according to my BMI [which apparently isn't enough to determine just how fat a person is, but does help to some extent] I'm a person with a normal weight. I still think I could lose some 10 kg - don't worry, I would still be consider "normal" weight for my height. [In fact, I gained 7 kg in 2 months last year.]

 

I admit I kinda think poorly of people I see as "fat." I'm not shaming them - or at least I'm trying not to do it anymore. Because I realized I was being mean for nothing: it wasn't MY problem to deal with. THEY are overweight, NOT me. It's not me who suffers more because of extra weight, but them. They surely know it, and they don't need me to remind them of this.

 

I came to realize some people have health problems that make them gain weight. I get that, and I feel bad for laughing or judging those who fell victims to these health problems. IF you belong in this category, I'm sorry. I was ignorant and mean, but now I know better. Or trying to know better.


 

Sometime in the past month I read an article about being fat, and some of the problems associated. Well, ok I'm lying as I forgot what the article was about, but one of the comments stood out.

 

It was hilarious, and I wanted to be able to remember it in the future. You can read it below. Sadly, the author had no name: the author's name was either "Anonymous" or "no name." Their comment is not mean, but it can pass as such. In any case, you decide for yourself, as I copied and pasted as it was written there:

 

here's a test that involves just 3 steps to determine if you're fat - 1) get naked 2) get in front of a full length mirror (preferably at home but to each their own) 3) take a good look at yourself and ask "am I fat?"

here's a 4 step way to change being fat - 1) only eat healthy food (it's much easier to lose fat when eating nothing but very healthy food) 2) burn more calories than you consume (it doesn't even matter how you burn them, just burn them all day long) 3) get on a regular sleep schedule (this is much more important than many people give it credit for being and will also help with a plethora of other health related issues) 4) buy a year long calendar, hang it on the wall and circle today's date; then accept the fact that it took you a long time to get fat so it's going to take you a long time to get not fat ... but you started down the road to being healthier and that's pretty awesome of you!

 

Surely this method of deciding if you're fat or not will not always work. Some people have a distorted sight or a bad mirror. Asking others if they think you're fat or not is not helpful either: they will generally say something you would like to hear. Not very nice.

 

If you're a body builder or some other type of sportsman, getting on your scales to see how much you weigh, they will not tell you anything either. So how do you know if you're fat for real? (Actually you might already know deep in side if you're fat or not. Your doctor and other people might have dropped some hints about your weight.)

 

You might look at people who have a smaller body frame than yours for the about same height. And when you look at them you might think "how nice must it be to be able to move so fast without getting tired so soon."

But do you know what these thoughts are? Or what they represent? They represent self - body shaming. You're shaming yourself. By doing so, you allow others to shame you for your weight as well.

 

It is you who needs to stop the self hating and shaming first. Only then you'll feel empowered to demand this treatment from others. But this won't happen now when you read this blog entry, it won't happen overnight [though it would be really nice if it did]. It will happen ONLY when you realize the truth in these words and when you're ready to make peace with yourself.

 

I don't have a magic pill, but you have the magic pill. Better said, your mind does. They say that God works in mysterious ways, but the mind is possibly 10 times more mysterious.


 

I think it's time to think a bit about the other people. Those labeled as 'skinny' or even 'underweight.' Do you think it's easy for them to be that way? For some, yes it is, because of their build. And WE ALL need to stop shaming them for weighing too little.

 

They too have problems, especially those who go on extreme diets: they get easily cold when it rains or in winter. The wind could blow them away - hell, it nearly took me away on several occasions. They can get easily tired because their bodies don't have enough stored energy. The list could still continue, but it will stop here.

 

It is really NOT OK to laugh at other people no matter how they look. It is really not OK to tell them in a masked way, that because they don't fit into a mold they can't be happy. They can be! Many of them are! Next time, before you engage in laughing and pointing to a fat or skinny person, ask yourself:

 

  • "What do I have to gain by pointing their body frame out, especially if I can't use magic to make them look 'better'?"
  • "How does their weight affect MY life in any way?"
  • "Will they instantly lose/gain enough weight so they'll look the way I want them to look, so I'll accept them?

I plan on writing some tips on how you can lose weight without an extreme diet or surgery. I also plan on writing about the reason I gained 7 kg too, sometimes soon.

 

Don't be a mean person, be kind and a better person!


©2013 - present Charly Cross. All rights reserved.

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Shopping only for fitting clothes

Publié le par Charly Cross

Hello everyone~~

Shopping is an activity many women simply LOVE. Everyone knows that! And it takes them a lot of time to buy a cute new outfit, or a perfect shirt, whatever other clothing item they want.

 

Men, however, don't spend as much time shopping for the stuff they need. Could it be that they know better what they want? Perhaps it is so, but maybe this aspect has something to do with this fact:

 

Men's bodies seem made in the same mold, while women have a curved body. The curves of a lady don't always fall in the same places, but this is due to their height! Women's bodies come in all shapes and sizes, or so they say. This is why women must try on all the clothes they're interested in, to make sure they fit and look nice.

 

To add insult to the injury, the amount of patterns, colors, and items in general, is reduced for men's clothing, so it's easier for them to choose something!

 

I read the stories of many women complaining about how their shopping trip was a failure:

 

Some of them couldn't find something they liked, others got stuff they weren't 100% happy with, and and and. I think a shopping trip should always end with 100% happiness. I'll share with you THE secret to always buy nicely fitting clothes.

Shopping only for fitting clothes

So, the question is, how can women go shopping and come back home happy? There is a very simple way of knowing if a pair of pants will fit you, for instance. All you have to do is to measure yourself before leaving home, and remember to take the measuring tape with you. You would have to measure the pants you like, in the store, before going to the fitting room. However, this is a rather complicated method and you would have to remember numbers, where to measure and so on. Plus, there is an even easier method you can use:


Take your favorite pair of jeans with you when going shopping and place them against the ones in the store! As long as they seem to be the same size, you can then try them on. If you're self-conscious, shy, or if a lot of people are in the store, you'll:

  • save time: by not taking to the cabin pairs of pants that will never fit, by not getting into the changing room if there are no pants in your size.
  • save face: by not having to ask for yet a larger size, by not taking 10 pairs with you instead of 4 or 6 pairs that actually fit you
  • be done faster with changing clothes, and shopping
  • enjoy your day of shopping for pants.

One important thing you should pay attention to is the rise of the pants: low, high, or regular rise pants will definitely fit different even if the waistband is just as large. You still have to try on the pants in the store before buying them. This way you will see if you would like yourself in them or not.

 

This tip can be applied to pencil skirts and even bras. It is well-known that different brands will fit differently even if you select the same size. This goes well for bras and pants. I learned this tip from my stylish mother.

 

See you next time.


©Charly Cross 2013 - present. All rights reserved.

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Some Louboutin Shoes are Gorgeous

Publié le par Charly Cross

So I want to talk about the Louboutin shoes. I mean, those ARE THE shoes, but must say Alexander McQueen (rest in peace!) had his own pieces of work. The pairs of shoes you're about to see are not from a latest collection, but from one dating back at least 5 years. I saw them late at night on April 5th, 2010 in a local store. At the time I was with a friend and we almost wanted to break in and steal the fitting pair for her, lol :D

picture's not mine :(

Picture's not mine. :( Aren't they lovely?

Maybe they aren't everyone's cup of tea, .. eeeer type of heels but at least they are worth a look or two...

 

Alright, this pair is very similar to one we saw. That one was blue and I believe the detail in front of the leg, around the ankle was bigger. Well, it's been a very long time ago, and this post is something I wrote on a different blog. There was yet a different blog talking about these shoes, and they were saying that:

 

this pair is inspired by Marie Antoinette, "the flamboyant wife of the equally flamboyant Louis XVI " and "Thirty-six (36) pairs are being made in each color". I wonder how many pairs have been bought here? (they had 2 pairs in the window, both on blue). I think later on, I'll still pass by there (right around the corner) just to take a picture  or two. :) 

I believe the picture was from the official website.

 

In case you are wondering about where on Earth could you wear these, I have some ideas: the Carnival in Venice, a themed party, or a Halloween party. However these are not shoes made to be worn, but to be admired, thus their limited number.

 

This is it for now! See you next time~~~~

© Charly Cross 2013 - present. All rights reserved.

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