AHA!

The mind is responsible for a lot more than we may sometimes care to admit. What the hell am I babbling about?  Well, have you ever heard of the law of attraction? Its kinda like that. What ever you think about, or focus on, is what you attract. It's something I have believed in for years. I've seen it in action nearly everyday, yet the one area of my life that I have failed to use it in is my weight loss. I have never seen myself as a thin person. In fact, when I weigh in and have not lost the weight I wanted, I concentrate on the feeling of being "fat" all day long. Focusing on that feeling causes me to be a "Debby Downer" all day, which then causes me to eat more (all day), causing more weight gain, and and endless cycle of ups and downs.
      The other thing that has been sabotaging my weight loss recently is the fact that I have a "cheat day". It sounds harmless, but for me (a true blue foodie), a cheat day turns into a calorie packed cheat weekend, and sometimes that's three whole days of eating whatever the hell my fat-ass can get my hands on. Beer, (my weakness), bacon, cheese, ice cream, and occasionally (OK, more than occasionally) a maple bacon cupcake from that cute little bakery around the corner. So after eating a clean diet and exercising for 4 days, I have ruined any progress I might see on the scale.  Combined with fervent disdain for exercise, I have created a mind-boggling plateau.  Its enough to make anyone want to quit.  This is where the final part of my "AHA moment" comes in...
     Its so easy to quit.  Easy to get that overwhelming feeling that for whatever reason, you just aren't meant to be thin.  That you will never be healthy. Don't let those thoughts creep in!  Plateaus are hard to break but it CAN be done.  Take my friend Holly who worked for 5 months to break one.  Now that's dedication!  That's what it takes to change years of bad habits: Dedication.  You have to keep going.  You can change things that aren't working after you have given them a chance.  You can adjust your diet for what works for your body.  You can tweet your exercise routine if it get boring or stops being effective, but the one thing you cant do, is QUIT. So here is the run down on what I have learned in this epiphany:

1. Focus on being thin! 
2. Don't have a cheat day. (cheaters never win.) instead use moderation and don't deprive yourself.
3.  Don't see plateaus as failure.
4. Exercise (ugh)
5. DON'T QUIT!

Soooooo...What have you learned during your weight loss journey? Did you have an AHA moment?

UPDATE!

So after about 7 days (1 week) of using the raspberry ketones, dried green plums, and green coffee extract, I lost a total of 3 pounds. For some odd reason that dwindled from the 4.5 pounds I thought I had lost. Still Good though. This coming week I have decided to eliminate the green coffee extract to see what happens with just the raspberry ketones. So there you have it. I still have about 18 pounds to lose. Some days it seems like a never ending uphill climb, but you know what?: I can't honestly say that I have given my all. I eat lousy at least 3 days a week and I hardly ever exercise. If I got my ass in gear and kept my eating clean, I would have probably already reached my goal. I'm bummed that I'm still so far away from my goal weight, but I will not give up. I'm half way there. So starting tomorrow, I reeeeeeaaaaally am Going to exercise at ,east 5 days a week. I can do this, and frankly, I HAVE to do this if I'm going to be Cat woman for Halloween ( a costume that can easily look like a black stuffed sausage with kitty ears).

MY FIRST GIVEAWAY!!!

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My natural hair regimen

STEP 1. While hair is still dry, I coat the ends with coconut oil and conditioner.
STEP 2. Pin hair up. Cover  with plastic cap (optional step: use heat cap or low dryer) (30 min)
STEP 3. Co-wash hair in luke warm water.
STEP 4. Apply moisturizing conditioner
STEP 5. Rinse with cold water
STEP 6. Stretch hair with banding or dryer method
STEP 7. BE A FABULOUS NATURAL

Raspberry letones, green coffee extract, green plums UPDATE.

     I got up, peed, yada, yada, yada, and I weighed myself this morning.  Down only a half a pound.  Not a lot, but I'll take it! As you may have noticed, I totally forget about the dandelion root tea, but I do want to try it this week.  I hear that it is a good detoxifier and a mild diuretic.  Normally, diuretics are not my thing, but since Aunt Flo is in town and she tends to bring almost  pounds of water with her every month, I figure the dandelion root tea is a better idea than Diurex.  So far, the combo of green plums, green coffee extract, and raspberry ketones, have helped me shed 3,5 pounds this week.  Some may be water weight, but I really think I lost some fat and waste from my colon. I think I'm going to lay off of the scale until Saturday when my cycle ends.  As you may remember, my goal weight is 140 lbs, so I would need to lose 2.5 pounds per week in order to be Milftastic by Halloween.  I really need to start working out guys! Any pointers? Any really interesting new work outs? I am starting to see myself getting "Skinny fat".  You know, the kind of thin that's all flabby and dimply?  That's because most of my weight loss can be attributed to changing my diet and little to no exercise.  I am NOT advocating NOT exercising!  You must, and I MUST exercise.  So I'm starting today.  I'll keep you updated! Weigh in and picture on Saturday so stay tuned!

Current weight:158.5 pounds
Starting weight: 180 pounds
Pounds Shed: 21.5
Pounds to go: 18.5

Tuesdays... WHYYYYYYYYYY?!

     Today is Tuesday. One day away from hump day, which, if you ask me, is not all that exciting itself. I hate the idea of thinking of any day as "sucktastic", but whatever.  It is what it is. Tuesdays are lame and everyone know it, so I have no choice by to spice it up with my newest Idea! Ready? ok, Its called: TUTORIAL TUESDAYS! Its pretty self explanatory, but if you are a little dense in the thinking area, here's a rundown: Every Tuesday, I will do a tutorial in which I will teach you something seriously awesome, useful, pretty, or a combo of the 3.  So I'll see you guys later on when I figure out what I want to do! Be sure to come back and see me!

Milftastic Mondays

Milftastic Mondays!

I really wanted to show you guys an awesome picture of me with high heels and hair "did", but frankly, I looked like a walking turd today and refuse to be forever immortalized as a chicken head on the web. Instead, I will share with you today's project.  My daughters helped me put together the IKEA KURA loft beds for their room.   Here's the story: (sigh.FML)

It all started when I got up this morning with a song in my step for some damn reason! I woke at 4:30 a.m., forced my partner to talk to me and listen to my musings on life until 7:30 a.m., at which time I jumped out of bed, peed, poo'ed and got super naked in order to weigh myself.  Down another pound!!!! Sweet! I looked in the mirror to see where I was losing the most weight and was caught off guard by the stupid grin on my face.  Its just a freaking pound, right? No need to be so damn happy, right? Anyway, I digress.  The stupid pound got me to thinking that I could do anything.  I ran down a list of things I had been procrastinating  putting off and decided on setting up the loft style bunk beds for the kidlets.  The wife said she would do it, but why wait?  "How hard can it be?" I said. "How long could it take?" I said.  "Damnit! I got this!" I said ...

Turns out, I don't "got this."  I sucked at "this."  in fact, what should have taken a normal human being less than an hour or so, took yours truly faaaaar longer.  Fast forward 5 hours , 15 minutes, and ten chipped finger nails later.  I was soaked in sweat, nearly starving, and finally finished.  "You are really slow at that mama", said my 4 year old. "Shut up minion!, I said under my breath. Now normally I would go ahead and leave out the fact that my project could have been more successfully completed by a 3 year old, but I wanted to show y'all how much of a "ride or die" chick I am.  I kept screwing (and screwing up) until there was only one screw left over!!! HA!

So here are the finished projects! 315 minutes later, each kidlet has a beautiful, albeit sweat stained bed.  Go me! Sooooooo, if I can muster up the strength, I will do my hair and take a pic to prove that I'm not a hideous beast behind this computer.  Rest well til then y'all.  I know the girls will!