What Not To Wear Revalation

The past two weeks, I have been home by myself a lot. My husband started a new job. My father-in-law also decided to purchase cable for the house last week. Awesome! So, I have been watching a lot of Little House on the Prarie and What Not to Wear. 

I like seeing what they do to the larger women. One thing they said really hit home with me, because I do it all the time! They were dressing up a lady named Leeanne who said she would see someone her size in a fantastic outfit and think, "I wish I could pull that off". The hosts of the show pretty much said that if someone else your size can do it, so can you.

I have been trying to work up the courage to believe that. In the past 6 months, I have gotten a lot better at makeup and become more bold when trying new things. Step one, check. Step two, I was given an awesome curling wand. I want to learn how to do hairstyles other than ponytail and buns. And braids. As I'm working on this second step, I am also getting ready to do a no-tshirt campaign. If you remember about two weeks ago, I was able to hit a $0.25 thrift sale. I picked up a lot of awesome winter/fall tops and sweaters. My husband has appreciated the extra effort I have out into my look when we go out.

So, that's my spew for today! If you haven't seen WNTW, find it online. Their tips are great, and they help women of all sizes and age.

Numbers

Life is all about numbers, even if you don't like math. Here is my story in numbers.

12: the age I first became obsessed with my weight
220: the weight that first made me cry (at 12)
15: the size of jeans I wore until I started college
5.9: the height  I always thought was "perfect"
18: the age I left home for the first time, and the biggest size of jeans most stores carry
2013: the year I got married
263: the heaviest I have ever weighed in at
0: the number of friends that stuck with me after high school
175: my weight senior year
104: the times I chose to wear something baggy so others wouldn't have to look at my rolls


I mention a lot of weight numbers for a reason: even when I was thin at 170 lbs, I still thought I was fat. I still had rolls, my jeans were size 15, my shirt was an xl. None of my thin friends wore clothes that size. It has taken a long time (almost 5 years from the time I graduated high school) to realize numbers are all that I was worried about. Looking back at photos of me from that time, I can't believe how thin my face was! I know better now. Its not that I am any more used to purchasing higher sized clothing or that I have grown comfortable with the numbers, its simply that I recognize there is more to me than the weekly addition and subtraction.

A body is more than its fat content. Now that I'm in a spinning class, I can feel things differently. I can push harder and know that, even if I stumble out of the room, I did it. I have less fear of doing things, period. I am now able to measure my success by what I have accomplished, how I reacted to the situation, how hard I was able to push ...

Of course, it is also a huge help that I understand my body and how it works a lot better than when I was 18. We women are told to eat a little and exercise a lot, stay away from fatty foods, and that chocolate will cause you to break out. Here's a fun little fact: in the past month, I have lost 6 pounds by eatting high-fat foods. Fat is good for us to eat. Our body needs fat to function. And 900 calories a day is borderline starvation.

Quit basing your worth on your dress measurements! That goes for all sizes.

#BikiniReadyLifestyle

Hey everyone! So in my last post, I told you about the Bikini Ready energy gummies I got from Influenster. One of their requests is a post about my secrets to a bikini ready lifestyle. Let's do it!


Firstly, I don't wear bikinis BUT I do love to swim!

My secret to getting ready for swimming season:

1) Drink lots of water!

2) Take vitamins and minerals to keep your body healthy!

3) Take 3 tablespoons of coconut oil throughout the day. There are so many health benefits to coconut oil, its insane!

4) Stay active! I take a spinning class to get my heart rate up and to SWEAT! The key is to do something other than sit, though. Walk around the block, tighten and loosen the muscles of your body one at a time as you do dishes, things like that.

#BikiniReadyLifestyle