Long Overdue

*Deep sigh*...its been SO long, too long in fact that I don't even know where to begin. Let me start off by apologizing for my absence. I could go into a long, drawn out spiel about how hectic my life was but there's much to discuss so I will just sum it up: I was busy and way less successful with my weight loss than I had hoped to be. I found myself gaining and losing the same d*mn 10-15 pounds no matter what I did or how hard I worked so I gave myself a break and tried to maintain until I could regroup and find something new to try. That something new came unexpected but worked like a charm. Some time ago, four of my co-workers did a juice detox. I thought they were CA-RAY-ZEE! Lol, they have had success for the most part but 2 things about their journeys was very off putting:

1. Only 1 out of the 4 that did it was able to stick to it for the full 30 days.

2. 3 out 4 of them gained back what they had lost.

I didn't like those odds at all but yet something needed to be done so I began asking my coworkers about their journeys. The sad truth is, none of them practice healthy lifestyles i.e. eating primarily healthy and being active so its no wonder they weren't successful at maintaining their losses. Once they completed the detox, they resorted back to eating large amounts of fast/fatty/fried/carbohydrate filled foods and not working out at all. Knowing that made me feel a little more at ease because I don't eat carbage and I actually do workout. I didn't want to put myself through something just to end up back where I started 3 weeks later and because fitness is a big part of my life I am confident that it's not going to happen.

So after arming myself with knowledge on juicing and watching the documentary "Fat, sick and nearly dead" (it's on Netflix for those of you who are interested), I started juicing on 4/30/12. I began by drinking purely Naked Juice as I didn't have a juicer at the time lol.

 I got my juicer from from walmart, it's a Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Juice extractor (try saying that 5x fast lol). It was $70

 When I picked up my juicer I also picked up some "supplies". While waiting for my juicer to be shipped I researched recipes and gathered a grocery list of all the items I needed. I should have saved the receipt because I forgot how much I paid for all of this lol.

So my first batch of juice was a complete and utter FAIL! I don't like celery or raw carrots so why I picked the recipe that I did is beyond me but needless to say, that sh*t went down the drain! A few more failed attempts and I went back to drinking primarily Naked Juice.

 The first juice I made that I actually like was from my own recipe. I called it "Citrus Punch"

1 Orange

1 Lemon

1 Grapefruit

1/2 Pineapple

My 1st day was a breeze. Once I resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't going to eat food, my stomach didn't put up much of a fight. I didn't suffer from hunger pangs or headaches at all. The only thing that was hard was my mind telling me I WANTED to eat even without my stomach telling me it NEEDED to. I was a complete b*tch for 5 whole days. I was moody, short-tempered and depressed and I knew I couldn't go on for 30 days or even 2 weeks like this so I ate the healthiest meal I possibly could have: Baked salmon with steamed broccoli. At first I was disappointed in myself for giving up but then I remembered everything isn't for every body and there is more than 1 way to skin a cat. So I continued to juice fast but eat 1 sensible meal of a protein and veggies for dinner.

 My first week, the only workout I did was the intense program on the just sweat option on Just Dance 2. Even after adding 1 meal to my regimen, I still lost 14 pounds  in 7 days. I plan to continue this way of eating until I reach a certain long awaited goal. I plan to workout a lot more intensely than doing just dance. I renewed my membership to Lucille Roberts last week and I did a 2hr workout my very first day. I will most likely do so 4-5x a week. I take a protein shake before working out I also take vitamins cause even though my goal is to lose weight, I don't want to hurt myself. 

Well, today is day 21 and I have lots more to tell but it'll have to wait until next post because this one just kicked my ass lol. It's almost a week overdue but I hope you've enjoyed this post as well as my return. I will be updating more often but I update my Instagram DAILY with thinspiration and fashion so follow me @Bitchy_Bella.

I took this pic yesterday. The scale is being ignorant after the first week lol so I stopped consulting her and focused solely on the way I look and feel.As you can see, my thighs are my biggest problem area (they annoy my LIFE!) so I will make them my main focus but I think they're naturally destined to lose slowly as I am pear shaped. I see the changes in my body so I'll continue to go hard for what I want. Thanks for your patience and for being a part of my journey.

XO-----Bella

Thinspo Quotes Inspired by Tumblr

Hey guys, I'm back :) I've decided to use this post exclusively for inspirational weight loss/get fit quotes I've found on the many blogs I've bookmarked on tumblr. I don't know about you guys but lately the promise of warm weather hasn't been enough for me to get my butt in the gym lol. So without further delay, here it is...

I'm still here...

Hey guys, sorry I haven't been keeping up with the blog lately but I'm having some computer issues at the moment. Just wanted to quickly check-in and let you guys know that I am still on my journey. I hadn't done so well during the holidays but since being back on track I have lost 3lbs. Will be A LOT more detailed once I log in from a computer that is NOT at my job lol. Will probably go to the PC lab at school some time this week. I would apologize but I am human. This isn't the 1st time I've fell off and it won't be the last. I hope you guys believe in me enough to stick around for the success that is sure to come as I don't give up easily. Thanks for being a patient part of my journey.

XOXO Bella <3

Stretch Marks & Loose Skin

Lets face it, the bigger you are and the more weight you stand to lose, the greater chance you have of incurring at least ONE of these problems. Having lost 90lbs originally with the intention of losing 50 more, I was deeply worried about the possibility of loose skin. I took to the internet and did what I always do to prevent loose skin from happening and to diminish the appearance of my stretch marks. 

Stretchmarks

At 290lbs, I don't believe there was a way I could avoid having stretch marks. Maybe if I knew to take precaution before they appeared but I didn't so here I am. While researching what could be done to reduce the appearance of stretchmarks (there is no way to get rid of them completely unless the skin is cut and removed) I found a nifty little product called a "Derma Roller"

 I purchased one fairly cheap on ebay (I forgot how much) and watched a youtube video on how the process was done. WARNING: If you are NOT a big fan of needles, this may be a hard regimen for you to stick to. I have slacked off entirely myself but as I am losing more weight, I will definitely be getting back on track with this. After I complete the dermaroll process, I clean my skin with a wet washcloth. Depending on how hard you press the needles into your skin, you may or may not see blood. My stretchmarks aren't very deep so thankfully I have never seen blood. Since this process is semi-invasive, I recommend cleaning the skin with alcohol prior to starting the process. Once the skin is wiped clean, I apply a stretch mark cream. The dermaroller is great for helping the cream to penetrate the skin to reach the problem area more effectively. This allows the cream to help increase collagen in the skin to fill in the gaps where the skin has torn.

Loose Skin

Unfortunately I've noticed the presence of loose skin on my thighs *deep sigh* but I won't accept that there is nothing that can be done about it. I still have a ways to go so hopefully all is not lost. While researching ways to prevent loose skin, I came across the process of dry skin brushing. It's a fairly simple process that isn't very time consuming. A simple 5 minutes before your daily shower is all it takes. You could even add in a session before bed. To prevent this post from being extremely too long, you can see how to do the process HERE. 

I purchased a natural bristle brush with a detachable head (just like this one) from my local pharmacy for under $10. It is important that it is a natural bristle brush as anything else will be too hard on the skin. 

Dry brushing helps remove dead skin cells faster so that new ones could be formed thus strengthening skins elasticity and tightens it. Another benefit is the reduction of cellulite. 

 Another extremely beneficial addition for the prevention of loose skin is MSM supplements. MSM comes in many different forms which makes it easy to incorporate into your regimen. You could take it in pill form (I do). You could use the soap or topical lotion or even the cream (I do). They even have a powder. I don't use that one so I'm not sure what you do with it...maybe add it to shakes?  MSM detoxifies the body and increases blood circulation. The sulfur in MSM is responsible for the flexibility and elasticity of skin. An added benefit is that it aids in healthy hair, skin and nails!

Checking In....

Hey guys, I know I missed a check-in last week buuuuut that is because I am annoyed with my results. I gained .2 lbs and that week, I was pretty darn good. I worked out 3x that week and stayed within my guidelines so I was disappointed, frustrated and hella annoyed to say the least. Idk what to do at this point...I am obviously not going to give up on my journey but something has to give. I think I just need to face the fact that low carbing is the only thing that works for me. That's a hard pill to swallow because it is quite difficult being so restricted all the time. *sigh*....maybe I just need to carb cycle and actually DO it. I say I am going to cycle and I end up staying at the same levels and then falling off so this time I'm gonna give it a TRUE effort to adjust my levels. Starting today I'm staying below 40-50 and by the weekend I'll allow myself to have 80-90 and hope the scale moves in the right direction....well, thats all for now. 

Bi-Weekly Weigh-In #1

So the time came again for me to step on the scale...I didn't do it. I've been bloated since yesterday and low and behold my menstrual is coming. So, rather than get discouraged over water weight gain, I opted out. All is not lost though, I snuck and weighed myself a few days ago and I was down 3.6lbs! So happy to have not been in a stall. I more than likely won't wait another 2 weeks to weigh myself, will probably update you guys 3-4 days after my monthly goes away...

RECAP:

I did GREAT. I stayed within 1200-1500 cals, most days I'd only go over 1200 slightly. Stayed under 100 grams of carbs and kept up with my 4 workouts a week. I went to the movies with my bestie as I told her I didn't want to drink this weekend as I felt it was hindering my losses. I am VERY proud of myself and although I have only lost a little over 9lbs since I started a month ago, I am noticing BIG changes in my body so screw the scale and her wishy-washy ways!

FAIL

I was craving french fries so I decided to make the healthy version, sweet potato fries however the fries came out more like baked potato sticks. They were borderline mashed potatoes but were very good so I got the thought to make mashed sweet potatoes some time in the near future. On a shopping trip I discovered an instant mashed potato mix by Betty Crocker and got excited that I didn't have to do the extra work of peeling, boiling and mashing the potatoes and I can instead just add water!

I made turkey chops breaded with Parmesan Shake & Bake and corn and I thought I would love this with mashed potatoes so I decided now was as good a time as any to try my new discovery. It was a complete and utter FAIL! They were waaaaay too sweet! Like I was eating mashed yams as opposed to sweet potatoes. I couldn't even eat them, they didn't go right with the meal. I may make them again when I need a yam substitute, like with my low carb mock-a-phony and cheese but other than that, they'll remain in the cubbard.

Some of My Meals

 Fat free turkey & cheese on a low carb wrap with a side of red hot chips. Chips were only 120 cals and 10 grams of carbs.

 Salsa chicken with brown rice and corn.

Baked lemon-pepper tilapia with brown rice and green beans.

*My "movie" look. I LOVED Twilight: Breaking Dawn!!!

Quickies...

No, not the kind Miguel sings about (you dirty minded folk). I'm talking about QUICK but EFFECTIVE workouts! When I'm counseling people who solicit my opinion on weight loss, one of their main concerns are finding time to workout. They have a number of responsibilities and they feel like there's just no spare time. In addition, after their long day, they are exhausted and simply cant find the strength to workout for 30-60 minutes. I understand. I work at 7 am and would LOVE to squeeze in a nap before my 3 hour class at night but duty calls and if I want to accomplish my goals I have to WORK for them. So on the days I have class I will usually pop in a Jillian Michaels DVD and get to work for 20-25 minutes and THEN rest. However, I am aware that not everyone owns a workout DVD so this post should help a LOT of you guys out (thank me later). For optimum results, do one a day. For BETTER results, do 2 a day.