Down 100, & a HUGE THANK YOU!

HELLO EVERYONE! I am coming to you today with the largest internet hug possible! I got up the courage last night to post my before and after picture on my Instagram and Facebook so all of my friends and family could see and seeing all of the heart felt words and encouragement was overwhelming amazing! I posted a before and after picture when I had lost 50 pounds, and I got such amazing feedback from everyone on that picture. When I posted it I told everyone that I was going to post my next before and after when I had lost a total of 100 and here I am! Typing it out seems so unreal because I still have to remind myself of how many pounds that actually is! I know how proud my family and friends are of me, but I am here today to say how proud I am of myself.

When I started this journey I had no idea what was going to come out of it. Yes, I knew that because I was so passionate about losing weight and I was so willingly ready that I was going to look different and maybe feel different. Boy was I way off, I not only look different but most of the time I can't even recognize myself let alone people I haven't seen in a long time. I absolutely feel amazing inside and out. My confidence has blossomed and I know feel more excited and ready for what the future holds. It was almost like the weight was a blanket covering up the true me. By tackling this huge burden that had consumed me for my entire life, it opens up so many emotions. I feel like I can now start my life the way I want to live it, because before I never felt confident enough or brave enough to be myself. Okay okay I need to stop before I really start to cry!

From the beginning I have had the most amazing people behind me, encouraging me and sending me text messages randomly saying how proud they were of me. These not only boosted my confidence, but it also made me that much more ready and motivated to keep going and to never give up. That is one of my biggest tips. Never give up. Even when you are crying because you don't want to get up and work out or when you sit there and dream about pizza in your head (guilty), do not ever give up. I have had my ups and downs of course because I am human and you are as well, but the key to staying on track is not letting those downs define this entire journey for you. Remind yourself of all that you have accomplished and only keep those positive thoughts in your mind because those will motivate you to get up and keep on going! I have said this multiple times already, but this is easily the hardest thing I have ever had to do but it is also the most rewarding. I want each person reading this who wants to start living a healthy lifestyle and get into shape to remember this. Even if you are doing this alone in your own person life, you are never fully alone! You have so many people out there like myself who is here ready to help you on your own journey. No one is stopping you from reaching your goals but yourself. You are the one who has to make yourself get up from the couch and work out, and grab that apple instead of the potato chips.

I am working towards blog posts more towards getting started on your own journey and sharing my tips and advice because I have had multiple people ask me how I got started and how I lost 100 pounds and there is just no way I can sum it up into a paragraph let alone a text message! I know that it is hard, I know that you must me thinking to yourself, "I can't do this, I have no idea where I would even start out or what I would eat". Trust me when I say I was in the same exact spot as you are right now a little over a year ago and look at me now. There is no such thing as "I can't". I hate hearing that because it is not true. You CAN do anything you set your mind to no matter what it is.

Again, thank you to every single person who has read even one of my blog posts, liked a picture on Instagram or shared such sweet kind words. You don't realize how much of an impact that does have on me and my journey. Just simply writing this blog post out makes me emotional (in a good way) and makes me want to cry because of how blessed I am! I will see you soon with so many fun inspirational blog posts so get ready!

AND there is no better day to start your new journey than today, so come on let's do this together!

I LOVE ALL OF YOU!

My Hair Crisis

Hair is a strange concept if you think about it for too much. I mean we grow single tiny hairs out of our scalp that we cut, color and wash. Never the less, we love our hair, (well most of us do) and we like to take care of it. Especially us women, who spend a fortune on making sure our hair is in tip top shape. I myself like to get my hair colored and cut here and there but by no means am I an avid visitor to the salon. Anyway, recently I have been noticing that I am losing hair. This might freak some people out because saying it freaks me out. Let me clarify, I am not finding clumps of hair on my pillow every morning, but I have noticed that my hair is getting extremely thin, thinner than normal that is. This not only worries me, but it makes me extremely aware and careful about what products and what hot tools I use on my hair. I am no hair expert and I haven't had to worry about this problem before, so I know that these products are probably not the greatest or the most organic for my hair right now, but these are what I am currently using to help here and there before I find a more effective product. 

I have heard multiple times about how it is not recommended to wash your hair every day, let alone every other day so I have taken that into consideration and only wash my hair every two days. My hair is extremely thin and so therefore it gets extremely greasy very quickly so this first product is a gift from heaven. I literally use this almost every day when my hair is on it's last day and is greasy, and  even when my hair is clean, for added volume and texture. The messier and more textured my hair is the better!

I have tried multiple dry shampoos and this one by Dove is by far my favorite. It is a spray on formula and it never leaves my hair feeling chalky and doesn't leave my hair white. I got the volume version because I need all the help I can get in that department!

After I wash my hair, I never blow dry my hair. I used to very rarely only when I was late for something and had to do my hair very quickly. Since my hair is so thin and getting thinner by the day, I don't want to add more heat damage to my hair by blow drying it when it can air dry within ten minutes. Yes, my hair gets more curly and more frizzy when I air dry it but it is worth it. Also because I use a hair straightener and curing wand, I get enough heat!

Going along with the no blow dryer and air drying my hair, this product does wonders. This is the Garnier Fructis Beach Chic Texturizing Spray, which gives your hair that beachy, wavy, boho look that I am obsessed with. All I do is while my hair is still wet, I spray a generous amount of this in my hair and then lightly scrunch up my hair and wait for the magic to happen. Now because my hair is very thin, doesn't mean it is naturally straight. Quite the opposite. I have very curly, frizzy natural hair which this product tames and turns frizzy and curly into beachy and wavy. Plus NO HEAT!

This 'It's a 10 Miracle leave in product' is quite possibly one of the greatest products out there. This is an all in one product which you have probably seen on most products, but this one is the truth. This product helps with ten different areas on your hair. It fights frizz, detangles, protects against heat and so much more! I use this mainly after I get out of the shower so that it is ready for whatever I feel like doing to my hair that day. It helps to get any tangles out so that when I brush I won't pull out my hair. Also, it helps to restore my hair and protect it against breakage. 

For now these are the extra products I am using to help my hair. I am thinking about going into a nutritionist and a doctor to see if maybe it is a different issue that is causing my hair to get thinner. I hope you all enjoyed this post and I will see you soon with a new vegan recipe!

UPDATES & Useful Tips

Hello everyone! I have missed sitting down and blogging so much and I apologize for being absent for awhile. Today I am here to update you all on how my vegan lifestyle is going and if there has been any changes in my weight loss journey. 

I am happy to say that I am in love with being vegan! I have switched over to the vegan lifestyle almost one month ago and I have been enjoying it so much. It does get challenging when I go out to eat with family and friends because I have to ask the waitress if certain things are cooked in butter etc, but it hasn't been as bad as I thought it was going to be. My family and friends have really shown me a lot of support which is always appreciated. A lot of my friends have had so many questions regarding why I switched and what I can or cannot eat so I thought I would share with you all what I share with them! Keep in mind I am no expert!

When first deciding to change my eating habits over a year ago I never told myself "these are the foods I can't eat" because feeding yourself that negativity won't make the journey any easier. It will also make you resent healthier foods which is not what you want. If you look at it more as in "I am going to eat this instead of this today because this apple will make me feel better than those french fries" then your mind is going to stay positive. I hope that makes sense! Anyway, I had to do the same thing when switching over to a vegan lifestyle. I just simply cut out dairy and meat out of my diet and kept on with the other foods that I was already eating. For example, I was already eating loads of fruits and veggies because of my healthy diet that I have had for over a year, so thankfully it wasn't a huge adjustment. 

I get asked a lot about how I have so much willpower and how I can be around meat or dairy and not be tempted to indulge. I always remind them of how since the beginning of this journey when I decided to change my eating habits I have had to have intense willpower and strength every single day. It does get easier day by day but we are all human and trust me when I say you will be tempted by unhealthy foods every single day and it is up to you to say no and to move past those foods! So after a little over a year of having to fight temptations, I can say that my strength and willpower level have increased tremendously. 
Also, an obvious answer on how I don't cheat or give into temptation when I get around meat, dairy or anything unhealthy is that I don't want to fill my body with chemicals and unhealthy ingredients that will hurt my stomach and prevent me from staying on track with my weight loss journey. Why would I want to put foods into my body when I don't know where they have come from or how they were made? I love the fact that I know where my meals came from and that I made my meals myself. The reason why so many people decided to start eating healthy is because they don't like the way unhealthy foods make them feel or what they do to their bodies. So to me, it is an obvious choice knowing what healthier foods will do positively to my body.

There are so many different options out there when looking for replacements for meat and dairy products you just have to open your eyes and do some research. That is what I did and found out so many amazing products at my local health food store that made my life and this journey so much easier. If I didn't have a Whole Foods close to me I don't know what I would have done. This store has made life so much easier because they sell pretty much everything you would need for a vegan diet. They have vegan cheese, cream cheese, milk, butter any kind of dairy product you can imagine. Not only dairy, but any kind of meat product you can think of. Ground 'beef', 'chicken' strips, 'bacon' (which I still want to try) and so many more! They also have ready to go frozen meals that are completely vegan and taste delicious! I tend to gravitate more towards the ready to go frozen meals because I am usually on the go or don't have time to cook dinner most nights so I like to have these to heat up at work for lunch etc. 

Now onto the more exciting stuff! Regarding my weight loss, and if I have been losing weight throughout this journey the answer is yes! SMILES AND SNAPS FOR DEE! I have lost 4 pounds since starting the vegan diet and that means I am that much closer to my goal! Four might not sound like a lot but it is amazing to see results after being stuck in a rut for over two months and not losing anything. I know that I am going to see this through and I believe in myself that I am going to continue to stay strong! Each and every one of you needs to say that to yourself every single day because I know and believe in each and every one of you that you can do whatever you set your mind to. Whether it be losing weight and starting a new healthy lifestyle or whatever it is in your life that you need motivation for. Stick with it and don't give up! I love all of you and thank you for sticking with me. 

Here is a recent picture of me about to go out with some friends!

I feel so much lighter and better nowadays and couldn't be more exciting for the future and for this crazy and amazing journey to keep going!