Trashing the Scale... And Building a Better Me

Time and time again I have jumped on the latest and greatest weight loss bandwagon. I did Atkins for about two weeks, Weight Watchers for 2 months, and yes I tried the lemonade and cayenne pepper diet (ugh). I've had gym membership after gym membership and never really commited to actually going. As I have aged, I have grown to love my curves and to not feed into the hype of being a size two. Since I have never been "small," I was raised to dress appropriately at any size. One of my BIGGEST pet peeves is seeing a plus size woman dress like... well, dress like they can't find clothes in their size. It's that moo-moo, elastic waist paints, and ugly print tops that makes me roll my eyes and shake my head. I really want to shake them, but the reality is that everyone was not raised by my parents and everyone does not have confidence.

I digress...
My current diet is not a diet at all... it's a change in the way I view food, exercise, and my goals. At the end of the day, I want to look and feel good. So I did something extreme: I stopped the scale runs. Scale runs are the weekly, if not the daily, runs to hop on the scale to see if you have lost that .2lbs you gained after you ate lunch, which consisted of lettuce, carrots, and cucumbers. Weight Watchers has weekly weigh ins and honestly I felt defeated many weeks because I was not dropping the pounds like the previous week. It's a mental thing.

So how do you know if you what you are doing is working, Kevina?
Simple, bi-annual doctors visits to monitor blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, etc. and of course my clothes don't lie. I worked hard to get my daily diet down to a science and I combined what I have learned from my previous diets to real life. So yes, I still do most of my shopping in the outer parameter of the grocery store (fresh fruits, veggies, meats, and dairy), I still sit down and plan what I am eating for the week on Sunday nights, I still cook 90% of the food I ingest, and I still will have to visit the gym regularly (my hardest task thus far). Only difference is that I refuse to be a slave to the scale. And what's crazy is that it's working for me. Pounds are not melting away over night, but I didn't gain them over night either.

I do want to take a moment out to shout out the hardest working otolaryngology nurse practitioner in the world, Schenkel. She is hard on me, but I know she has my best interest at heart. A feminist, a dedicated runner, a butt-kicker, she's all that and more. As much hell as I give her, I appreciate her for her motivation and her laughter.

Below is a side by side shoot (sorry I suck at making straight faces) of my progress. The picture on the left is from June 30th. The picture on the right is from mid-October (was headed to see my alum college, THE University of Louisiana at Lafayette play UNT in Denton... Cajun Pride). Not a drastic change, but a little is better than none...

Have a good week fam and be blessed!!!
KP

Through My Speakers...

I am one of those girls who can listen to an album twenty-five times in a row before I just tell myself "OK it's time for something else." I usually have a mix CD in my car, a hip hop/rap album on my iPod, and a chill album for when I am at home. Currently my iPod has Kanye's newest album Cruel Summer playing on REPEAT. It's a really good compilation of chart topping artists including Jay-Z, Big Sean, Kid Cudi, 2Chainz, Common, and Pusha T. You really get a chance to hear Teyana Taylor's voice as she teams up with John Legend on "Bliss"and R. Kelly on "To The World." I admit I downloaded "Google Me," (Kanye shrug) so I was actually looking forward to hearing her on this album. The greatest gift on this album is found on "Higher" featuring The Dream, Pusha T, Cocaine 80's, and.... *drum roll* MA$E!!!!! First time I listened to the song I was on the treadmill and I literally stopped when I figured out it was him. I'm a raised in the 90's girl, I swear every time I think of Ma$e, I picture him in a shinny green windbreaker suit. Do you all remember those??? I digress, go pick up the album. It's worth it!

( I purchased my copy from Target) 

I'm having a chill weekend due to a VERY busy week coming up. I hopefully will have Polyvore figured out by next weekend so that I can present my Fall/Winter wish list *crossing fingers*...

Presley Out,
PEACE!

Back to Business

I have been meaning to post something on this blog since... September. I would love to say that life has kept me busy, and in some aspects it has, but I am going to blame laziness for not posting anything since March. Honesty. Another reason I failed to post is because I was actually having a hard time figuring out which direction I wanted my blog to go. Do I want to do fashion, make-up, healthy living, hair, random rants, life in Dallas, traveling, etc.? I literally would have 100 ideas going through my head and could sit in front of my laptop and type absolutely nothing. It was frustrating. After speaking to my best friend (who by the way has a blog coming up soon) about my dilema, I decided why not do it all!! Today I am giving my blog a new look and then I will be back next Saturday with an hot new post (baby steps, lol)...

With Love,
KP

Short and Simple

The one thing about blogging that I love us that it is a great gateway to let people know what is going on in your world and to let off steam every now and then. As many can see, I haven't blogged since September. Just know that life throws curve balls and I am trying my best to catch each and every one of them. In other words, life is great, it's fun, it's exciting, and every now and then it can be complex. I am going to try *crossing fingers* to do better. With my 29th birthday is around the corner, I'm trying to start back this habit of being happy, fashionable, and fit... Until then...

Peace and Love,
Presley