Gotta Love It!

So Im sitting here disappointed in my week of 'healthy eating' that went awful from begining to end. I suppose I could blame it on the holiday weekend jump starting my bad habits, or I could blame it on my lack of restraint when it comes to resisting ice cream shakes. But then I thought to myself.....why play the blame game...I had a bad week...Im human...it happens...and as I stood in the kitchen threatening to starve myself for weeks to come to compensate my week. It hit me, 'You've got to love where you're at in order to appreciate where you're going' Yep...its that simple. No Im not where I want to be as far as my weight goal, but I gauruntee that by the time my internship is over I'll be halfway there, which means Ill be at least 10 lbs lighter than when I started!!!! More lean muslce, smaller thighs, and very slight curvature in my arms...no...Im not gonna complain at all :-) So Im encouraging all of you to accept exactly where you are at this very moment...not where you were or where you hope to be, but EXACTLY where you are...relish in it, love it, be proud of it!!! And then take that energy, those good feelings that you get from that and use it as your strength to move forward :-)

Positive Affirmations

So I was on one of my favorite natural hair sites www. curlynikki.com *sidenote: No Im not natural...I just love hair so darn much until I love reading about ALL of it!!!* and there was a post by Nikki about positive affirmations and it got me to thinking about how right she is and how I am guilty of not always being positive. She says positive affirmations to herself all throughout the day and I think that's a great thing to start doing for myself and I encourage y'all to do the same.



Often times I get caught up in what's going wrong in my life and the 50 small problems instead of looking at the bigger picture so here goes my positive affirmations for today!



1. Im beautiful inside and out!

2. I have wonderful family and friends who love me and who I love

3. God's got my back!

4. Im a semester away from graduating with honors :-)

5. Im healthier than Ive been in a long time

6. I've lost 6.5 lbs

So those are my positive affirmations for the day! Try listing a few for yourself :-)

Relaxed Vs. Natural Hair....One of the Greatest Debates...and my Secret Defense

So Im sitting here munching on a delicious quesadilla from my gym's cafe and wondering how in the world it's only 355 calories! The air conditioner is humming the background and some random ABC show is playing softly.

Now that I've set the mood I suppose I can get on with what Im really supposed to be writing about...Relaxed Vs. Natural hair! I know I know...everyone has an opinion about it. Some say natural hair is better because you can stay away from the creamy crack...yadda yadda yadda. But Im not here to debate which is better, healthier, or any of those other arguments. What I am here to discuss is the way some people from BOTH sides try to belittle women for their personal decisions. For example, some say women with natural hair just have nappy hair...and some who are naturals say that its because they embrace they inner beauty and have not conformed to what the white man wants. Taking all of that in stride my only wish is that we can uplift eachother regaurdless of the decision about our hair because at the end of the day you can be relaxed or natural and still have unhealthy hair. Ive seen dry thirsty brittle afros and Ive seen badly damaged broken relaxed hair. But let's be honest a relaxer technically can't 'destroy' your hair just like going natural can't magically make it healthy. Healthy hair of ANY type requires dedication and preparation!

So now that I've rambled ultimately the whole point of this blog is to say Ladies.....lets be supportive of eachother...whether we're relaxed, natural, texlaxed, transitioning....after all...everyone's trying to achieve one goal...HEALTHY HAIR!

Oh yeah...I almost forgot....Im a proud relaxed lady. Yes, Ive contemplated going natural, but ultimately I love my relaxed hair and Im happy with my decision. It is my wish that every woman can feel that exact way about theirs :-)

Weight Loss....Yes Its Hard...NO its not IMPOSSIBLE!

So here I sit...ready to write my first blog....and I of course had to pick the one THING that's always been there for me...FOOD. Let's be real a lot of people aren't excited about their weight and want to lose a little or a lot. Now first things first...YES ITS HARD! There is no easy way to losing weight. There's no secret pill, no magic button, no specific excercise machine that's just gonna transform you in 10 days! NOT GONNA HAPPEN. Weight gain is a lifestyle and so is weight loss. If you wanna lose weight you've got to change everything from your way of thinking as far as how you approach food. Im gonna give a few practical tips that have really helped me.

1. Don't deprive yourself! Everyone has a vice...something that they just have to have! My nemesis is sweets! I LOVE them and couldn't imagine cutting sweets out of my daily eating regimen just to lose weight. That's a quick way to relapse. SO...what do you do to incorporate one of your favorite foods that you just can't live without? For me, everyday I have one sweet treat that's 100 calories or less. My new favorite thing is the mini snickers and twix ice cream bars that are only 90 calories! It's like a little piece of heaven to me! I eat one everyday without an ounce of guilt...why? because its something that I love and Ive learned how to incorporate it into my diet and STILL lose weight!

2. You must have a support system. No I don't mean someone who's going to diet every step of the way with you. I mean a group of people who know your ultimate goals and are willing to help. Take for example my friends...they know Im on a diet...NONE of them are on one so they can pretty much eat whatever they want. Sometimes I have really bad cravings for random fattening food and I might get weak and ask them for a taste...they instantly say NO and remind me of the goal that Im trying to reach! Now some may think well gee that's mean that your friends eat whatever in front of you, but still tell you no. Well let me tell y'all nothing has more hidden calories than snacking. A taste of this and that does add up! And even though it's frustrating to witness my friends eating something that I can't have I appreciate that they understand and support my goal enough to keep me on track even when I don't wanna be! Which brings me to my next point....

3. Fight through your cravings! TRUST ME...whenever you're trying to lose weight you're going to have the WORST cravings....not because you're depriving yourself, but because mentally you know that you can't have it..and so your brain keeps nagging and pysching your stomach into thinking that you need it. On days like that do your best to stay on track. Chew gum, go to the gym, watch a movie. Just do something to get your mind off of food and before you know it the craving will be gone and you'll be so happy and proud of yourself for not giving In!

4. Don't keep it in the house! If you're one of those people who can't just put something in the freezer and forget about it...don't buy it! For example....my ultimate favorite candy to eat...Gummy snacks! If I buy the individual packs I'll eat have the box in one day. Do I crave them...YES, but even when I crave I know they're not in my house so I can't eat them! My fridge is stocked with fruits, veggies, meat, dairy and other healthy alternatives, but nothing that I know I just can't resist!

5. Allow yourself one cheat meal a week.....for one it gives you something to look forward to. Personally I choose to have my cheat meal on my weigh day. After I've weighed Im feeling fabulous because I've met my goal for the week and now I can relax a little.

Those are my simple tips that have helped me! I closing in on losing 10 lbs! And trust me...it's been hard. My ultimate goal is to lose 20 and tone up. I eat lots of veggies and grilled meats and work out 5 times a week. Everyday when I look in the mirror I can see my body slowly transforming before my eyes. And that is worth fighting through every craving, going to the gym when I just don't feel like it, and NOT giving up. If there is one thing that I CAN'T stress enough...DON'T GIVE UP! I've been trying to knock 20 lbs off my 5'1 frame for almost a year now and would always lose 2-3 lbs and relapse. I kept trying and I've FINALLY got something that's working for me :-) Trust me...if I can do it...YOU can TOO!