Well...after disappoints over and over again...I finally found some goodies I wouldn't mind under my Christmas tree:
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Final paper of the semester in...now back me... I'm out of school for the next 30 days, so I've decided to just work as hard as I can in the gym and making sure I'm making the right decisions when it comes to my eating habits. I've decided not to set a goal because I want this rainbow (my hard work, consistency, etc) to never meet that pot of gold...because it is a lifestyle change.
something told me to go to monifc.com and I did and saw these... I don't think they're too much for graduation. Do you?
8-my courage: I'm trying this new thing called being spontaneous ... it's a little hard, but i'm surviving
9-my laugh: it's pretty much hilarious by its self.
10-my hair: i'm really enjoying the short hair and more i loose the more i cut off
11- my scars: all of them aren't just about painful events some of them are from fun times with crazy accidents
12-my ability to be empathic and sympathetic
13- my tattoos: there's a story behind every single one
14- having the ability to laugh at myself
15- my ability to think outside of the box
16- my nose: yep it's a little big... but oh well it's my kinda big nose
17- my hands: the only physical thing i got from my mother
18-my shape: i know i'm trying to loose weight, but at least i'm pretty much proportionate
19- my thighs...somewhat
20- my voice: i know it's a little much at times... but i love it
21- my facial expressions: one word... priceless
we'll i'm happy to say i'm still losing... and the 30 before Thanksgiving is going great thus far... update on weight loss in a couple of days. Unfortunately school is driving insane!!!! But I did have the chance to go out one night with one of my sisters! We compared these pictures together... and definitely saw a change! :)
it may be safe to say that the don't buy anything until you loose 15 pounds didn't go well... but i've dedicated myself to a new goal... 30 pounds before Christmas... but I really want most of it off by Thanksgiving. Why these days? November and December are the two months I literally eat a whole lot and participate in little exercise. Instead of accepting the weight gain... I've decided to fight it.
Talk is cheap, right? It is! So, I've developed a game plan for the next two months...
1200 caloric intake
4-5 times/week exercise
drinking only allowed once a week (no girly fruity mixed drinks)
no fast food
no "pretty" drinks from Starbucks
It's not going to be easy... but it's so attainable! I'm starting Monday... wish me good luck!
I love love love this song. In order for you to allow someone to love you... you must love yourself to the fullest, flaws and all! Here's my first seven days... getting harder and harder everyday... but that's what I'm trying to change. My perception of myself... and hopefully your perception of yourselves.
1- moles: they remind me of my grandmother... she had them all over her face.
2- eyes: I was picked on because they are smaller, but they've grown on me... && i love them.
3- spirit: i love helping others who are thankful
4- confidence: I don't have the highest self-esteem... but I love the fact that when I feel like I look good... my confidence gets a major boost
5- my rolls: uhhh... the fact that i see them shrinking is the best thing about them!
6- complexion: in the black community, I still see skin color being a determinet of beauty. I love the fact that i'm dark skinned... and I will embrace that FOREVER.
7- smile: its warm... but can be fake at the right times.
okay...i have one week left until my deadline... and i'm down six pounds... just 9 more to go...
i promised myself I would would remain positive because I can lose the pounds in 7 days... it is very realistic (continuing to be positive)... my weeks are crazy so hopefully I'll be able to keep you posted. <333
Week one of "shop or die" (from not shopping)... && the verdict is in... I've lost one pound. WTF???! I need to shed 14 more in like 2 weeks... how am I going to do this? There's only one thing that will give me the motivation to push myself harder &&& it's this dress from Monif C that I absolutely adore...
The land of Jaleesa has been a complete mess these last three weeks. School, work, && my camera erasing ALL of my pics (i should definitely start backing those things up)... new hair cut... that I totally am in LOVE with!!!! :)
Last summer, I was tipping the 300lb+ scale... which is ridiculously unhealthy ... this morning I was 251... its feels good to say that. I will reflect on my experience later this weekend today I have to celebrate
OMGeee I'm so excited, nervous, anxious, &&& insanely obsessed with my last weigh in. Let's look at my wins over these last few months: I've lost at least an entire pant size (tight 22 to nice 20)!!! (I squeezed into a 18 at work saturday & almost cried... ) I'm trying to loose those 10 pounds so I can get in them comfortably... this week, but that would be CRAZY && UNHEALTHY... my shirt sizes still vary because I'm so top heavy... but I have dropped a shirt size. Nowwww... my opportunities... I feel like I would've had more success if I exercised more...but this process is all about PROGRESS... &&& this process has truly been life changing.
Well Friday we'll see how far I've came... && I'm celebrating with one of my besties!!! :))) pics coming soon.
Do you remember this video? I wonder what happened to it? Probably in a vault, safe away from public along with Tyra Banks "Kiss my fat A**" episode.
I have given up on changing other's perception of beauty until... three days ago a little girl said "look mom she's so pretty" && she was pointing at me. For the first time in my life, I thought I was going to cry from that comment. The little girl had to be at least three; At three, I was surrounded by Barbies, dolls, & movies that showed me one type of beauty. The fact that she is surrounded by those same influences and more and she still has ability to define what's beautiful in her eyes, shows me we are somewhat growing as a society. In that moment, I really thought to myself "yes, my children won't be as screwed up as I thought they would be."
These last couple of weeks have been HELL for me;; but really bittersweet. I've moved into my very own apartment, which was a giant step for me. Also work has been insane, but luckily my district and regional managers had the chance to see me step up to a challenge. Now that the craziness is over, I finally have time to give you an update on my progress(?).
With me moving &&& working crazy hours these last weeks... I haven't been able to see what's out there in the world of retail (except at LB and online). With the fall lines coming in the stores, I'm super excited to see what new favorites I will be adding to my forever expanding closet.
The 5 Trends I will be stalking for this upcoming Fall season:
1. deep BOLD hues--> I LOVE this dress from jibri
2. Menswear Inspired Suits
3. Bringing the Fifties Back---> this with a full skirt <333 (Dorothy Perkins)
To be honest, I haven't seen major progress in the way that I look until I was going through some old pictures on my computer. A friend of mine said she could tell after looking at a few facebook pictures of me from the past, but a lot of my customers who don't see me every week can tell that I've dropped some pounds. I am SO excited && happy that my hard work actually has been paying off...
Here are some old pictures of me around my 21st birthday last year::
thus far... luckily I'm not the only person making major life changes in my inner circle;; therefore, i've been able to avoid purchasing loads of new clothes because I just take the "hand-me-downs." I'm solidly down to a 20, a size I haven't seen in at least two years... my goal before school starts an 18. With my goal in mind, I've been "shopping" around to show off what I've accomplished this lovely summer... here are so of the goodies that I MUST have:
"my momma said a lady aint what she wears but what she knows..."
outside beauty will eventually fade with age, but when you leave this earth,what will you be known for? At the tender age of 22, my outside appearance is on top of my priority list. Vain, i know, and mostly sad... but i can honestly say, there is more to me than what's on the outside.
Full Figured Fashion Week starts on the 16th through the 19th && I can't wait to see what's shown. Other than designer Monif C, who I’m crazy about, some other lines being showcased are Pure energy—Target’s plus size, which is affordable, but of course the quality is “what you pay for”, and Qyristal Frazier from season six of project runway. As I was looking at the designers’ websites and lookbooks, I can’t say I was extremely impressed, when it comes to my personal style. Most of the looks didn’t look very high fashion to me; they looked more costume-y. I have my fingers crossed, hoping that the collections shown will be so much more than what is on their websites right now.
1. Tell people they are beautiful, not only on the outside, but on the inside (it matters the most).
2. A smile && hello can go a very long way.
3. Selflessness is hard to do;; but the outcome is priceless.
4. Sometimes people need a second, third, fourth && tenth chance;; this life is full of trials & errors ;; && perfection is boring anyways.♥
5. Life is just another school;; we are always being taught lessons.
6. These lessons are NOT mistakes;; && there is no such thing as failure, just lessons that didn’t work as well as others.
7. There are always lessons to be learned; as Gandhi said, “live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
8. I’ve seen this somewhere && loved it “other people are merely mirrors of you;; you cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.”
9. You set your limits;; you know all of the answers about yourself && you know what is best.
10. Be Yourself-- at the end of the day, that's all you can do.
xoxoxox
My new obsession are these white skinny jeans! I would've NEVER wanted to put on a white pair of skinny jeans until now. By September, I will be in these jeans from asos.com CONFIDENTLY.
This week= the worst week ever. Well, I said that this will be a journey && it definitely is. Where should I start? I lost one pound as of last wednesday (i'm neglecting the blog;; work & school has taken over my life). Weigh-in is tomorrow so keep your fingers crossed that I've picked up some of the slack from last week...
As I sit here with this lovely (sarcasticly) bowl of soup, let me reflect on some of my mistakes from last week:
1. exactly what i'm doing now eating late (oops, my schedule is all over the place)
2. My lovely friend, Jenell (she can convince me to eat some of the most terrible things easily)
3. lack of excercise -->I'm trying, I really am
4. consistency (I really need to have somewhat of a set schedule)
Diet Po-lice;; here I am... take me in, NOW!
In these last lovely, humid, and extreme hot months, I've been obsessing over the military fashion trend. When I say military, I DO NOT mean literally camo from head to foot, but the colors and the cuts. I have been in love with this Marc Jacobs ensemble ever since his Spring 2010 fashion show! I am a layer-holic, I will layer and layer until I'm about to pass out & then throw a belt on it to showcase my small waist. Obviously, this is the reason why this outfit screamed to me. I love the idea of the skirt, it would be gorgeous dress if it had a bodice on top, and a tad but longer. I've also been looking for a dress the color of this jacket && finally found one, at Lane Bryant, but I have to get it cut a good 6 inches because the length isn't flattering on me at all.
I'm so anxiously awaiting for the Full Figured Fashion Week. It'll be interesting to see what pieces of art will be coming down the catwalk that are actually tailored to the not so "average" woman. I respect every designer's vision and ideas to the fullest, but they aren't always the best for women of a certain body shapes. One designer Monif C, that my good friend put me on, will be showing her newest collection during the week. I can not wait! I feel like she (&whomever else helps her) understands a woman's body. I love every thing she makes. Here are a few of my favorite:
