Last week I finally worked up the courage to have some boudoir photos taken by some photographer friends of mine. I’ve been working hard to get my body right and finally felt good enough to have them done. I received a sneak peak and I LOVE THEM! Unfortunately, some troll on the internet decided to rain on my parade by throwing in their two cents. It will always baffle me why someone whom I’ve never met in person would feel the need to criticize or make assumptions about the type of person I am. This mid-40s woman from Texas, who might I add, was wearing a Brett Michaels style cowboy hat in her profile pic, suggested that I shouldn’t have worn so much makeup FOR MY PHOTOSHOOT and that I was probably trying to cover up insecurity with it. Who the heck would book a photoshoot and not wear makeup?! This woman’s attempt at EMPOWERING me by, in her own way, suggesting I had natural beauty, served no other purpose than to make me self conscious about my photo. My suggestion to her would be not to criticize and make judgements about people they’ve never met. Anyway, I think this picture is beautiful and can barely wait to see more. The whole experience was a delight and I would recommend ANYONE going to Brandon and John at Breathe Life Photography if they ever want to be captured as the best them they can be.
The photo of much debateGoofing off, behind the scenes.
I am pleased to announce that I have really stuck to my guns about cleaning up my diet and lifestyle FOR GOOD, even maintaining through vacation. The only cheat I had was lunch at the tea room and a piece of cheese cake at the steakhouse on the final night. It was definitely worth it. Since I’ve been back, I’ve not drank and I have stuck to a meal and workout plan religiously. For weeks, however, I’ve been plateaued at 153lbs. It. Has. Driven. Me. BONKERS! However, as of yesterday, I broke that plateau and woke up at 151.5lbs! This is such a big deal for me. I haven’t been this small since some time in high school. At 6’0″ tall, I don’t need to lose much more weight. However, I do carry ALL my weight in my tummy region, (thanks for those genetics, Mom.) and that is the scary kind of fat. So realistically I would like to drop about 10 more pounds, then, continuing with my fitness plan, tone up and add back on around 5lbs of muscle.
So what is my plan?
I will lay out my food and fitness daily grind here for you. I am not a doctor, so you probably shouldn’t follow this plan without consulting a professional. This is just what is working for me at the moment.
Meal 1: 2 whole farm fresh eggs scrambled with 1tbsp salsa and sprinkled with feta, 1-2 cups of fruit, 1/4 avocado, cup of Yogi Blueberry tea, 16oz h20. Supplements-biotin (for hair and nails), vitamin C (for combating pesky colds), green coffee extract (to aid in weight loss) and b12 (for energy!)
Pre-workout: Pack of sweet and spicy tuna (I really hate to eat prepackaged food and limit it as much as possible. However, this is pretty good, and quick and easy on the go.) 16oz of h2o
Meal 2: 4oz of lean protein, 2 cups green veggie (typically this would be chicken or turkey with spinach or broccoli)
Meal3: 4oz of lean protein, 2 cups green veggie (same as earlier, but I could use chicken, turkey, salmon or beef, with spinach, broccoli or green beans)
Pre-bedtime: 1/2-1 cup vanilla greek yogurt topped with 1 cup fresh berries and a drizzle of chocolate syrup. cup of smooth moves organic senna tea 3x/wk (this is kind of embarrassing but I drink this stuff because my whole life I have had problems with, ahem, being regular. Holding on to that extra stuff isn’t good, so I drink this stuff to help me out. Moving along.)
If I’m craving something sweet and could use the extra calories, I will sneak a tablepoon of peanut butter 1-2 times per day.
I try to stay at 1200 cals. Any more and I don’t lose weight, any less and I don’t lose weight.
My exercise plan so far is pretty beginner. I have taken a sample workout from a bikini competitor and altered it to fit my beginners needs and I am sore all over. Constantly. I unfortunately will never be a person who just enjoys working out. I hate it. My time could be far better spent doing other things. But honestly that was part of the plateau problem. I had lost as much weigh as I possibly could without exercising so I had to start. Le sigh.
Monday: Legs- 4 sets of 12 each: leg press, leg extensions, squats with a 25 lb body bar, and lunges holding 15lb dumbbells, 30 mins cardio (15 mins on treadmill at 6-6.5mph, 15 mins on spin bike)
Tuessday: I rest
Wednesday: Im crippled from Monday, but make myself go. Arms- 4 sets of 12 each: hammer curl, barbell curl, tricep dips, and behind the neck tricep press. 30 mins cardio.
Thursday: Im basically a paraplegic at this point, but alas, no rest for the wicked. Back and abs- 4 sets of 12 each: bent over barbell row, one-arm dumbbell row. Row machine as hard as possible for 2 minute sets, 4x. Crunches with legs elevated to 90 degrees, 4 sets of 20. Russian twist, 4 sets of 30. Hanging leg raise, 4 sets of 20. 30 mins cardio.
That brings me to today. I’m actually going to get my body fat measured at the gym today. And I’m thinking I’ll do shoulders and chest plus cardio. The thing with my body type and what I’m trying to achieve, is that I have to focus most of my energy on diet and cardio to get rid of this pesky belly fat. The rest of it is just to tone up and get rid of all that cellulite and give me a sleeker appearance all over. I have been taking progress photos but I need to censor out my lady parts so those will be added later.
Anyone else on a fitness journey and want to share? I’d like to know I’m not alone here. What is the old saying, “misery loves company?” haha!
Breffus. My favorite meal of the day.One of the best feelings ever. Beating that damn plateau!Protein power!Spin is one of the few cardio things I enjoy.Ready to get. It. Over. With.
As promised I wanted to update about our vacation to Myrtle Beach/Georgetown, SC. We had an amazing time catching up with friends and enjoying the sites. I wish I had more time to go into detail, but as I’m pressed for time, I’ll just hit the highlights.
Monday- arrived at 1pm. 75 degrees and sunny. Laid out by pool. Mitch fell asleep on his stomach and burned his back. After naps and showers, we enjoyed a late dinner at a new gastro pub called “Fire and Smoke.” amazing food and drink selection and beautiful art on the walls. Visited one of my favorite old haunts, Bumstead’s. Then back to crash.
Laura was there waiting to greet us!My honey, pre-sunburn.Finally! Rest and relaxation! Ahhhh…..Gas station munchies.Selfie shot at Bumsteads.My best friend Christian and I…reunited and it feels so good!
Tuesday- Woke up to another beautiful day. More pool time, as the wind off the ocean was too cold for laying out on the beach. We also spent the afternoon playing puttputt at Mitch’s request, something I haven’t done in years. Strange considering what a Myrtle Beach staple it is. We actually had a blast and Mitch even hit the hole in one on the 18th hole and won a wooden nickel good for a free game! That night both Christian and Laura had to work, so Mitch and I hit the boulevard looking for touristy trinkets, playing skee ball and getting in a little bit of Myrtle Beach nostalgia. Afterward we called it an early night, had a few glasses of wine and went to bed.
I love him so much! Puttputt at the jungle safari!Christian and I and our new friend on the course.Hello Sunshine!MB nostalgiaRelaxing in our matching Spring Break 2014 tshirts because we’re old and we can.
Wednesday- this was my favorite day. We drove down to Hopsewee Plantation in Georgetown. It was amazing. Beautiful, serene, and chock full of history. We toured the home first, then enjoyed one of the best lunches I’ve ever eaten in the tea room afterward. On the way back to Myrtle Beach, we stopped at Brookgreen Gardens and took a quick tour of the zoo. That night we enjoyed a relaxing game night at home with some friends. This day was perfect.
Pulling up to the back of the beautiful Hopsewee Plantation.Slave quarters. I’m going to assume the satellite was added later.Front of the house, facing the river.Honey, I’m home!!My love and I amongst the Spanish Moss.One of the previous Ladies of the plantation on her wedding day at the plantation.The wedding party in front of the house. The children are sitting on the very carriage stoop I was standing on in one of the above photos. So neat!Us on the front porch.Can I please just live here permanently?! ugh!Lunch at the Tea RoomDon Quixote statue at Brookegreen GardensChilly stroll on the beach!
Thursday- we woke up to some crummy weather, in comparison to the past three 75 degree days we had. Never fear, shopping was near. We hit up the outlets and I got a great deal on the perfect spring Coach wallet. (originally $115, I got it on mega sale for $33.) I also found a steal on an easy Leopard print Guess dress ($15) and some MAC essentials (a paint pot and the Viva Glam Nicki, which just so happens to be a perfect coral match to my new wallet.) We also had THE BEST DINNER EVER at a Brazilian Steakhouse called Rioz. Phew. Amazing.
New wallet and lipstick. Have I mentioned my obsession with coral?Chomping at the bit before dinner at Rioz. I love this lightweight spring trench.
LOVED my outfit that night!
The next morning we left. And honestly, it felt good to be home with my little dogs and my love. Hopefully I will make my triumphant return to the beach sooner rather than later. Til then, I can only enjoy this springtime in the mountains.
Good morning! I’m sitting here drinking my morning tea with the sunshine streaming through my windows and listening to the birds chirp. Even though it’s still pretty chilly outside, just like the birds, I can feel spring moving in. And time is FLYING by. I can”t believe it’s already been 2 months since I started this little online journal. Pretty soon it’ll be 90 degrees outside and everyone will be bitching and whining for cooler weather on Facebook (why can’t people just be happy )
This week I got around to bringing a little spring into the house. I changed my Bath & Body Works Wallflowers from “Leaves” to “Coconut Leaves!” I mopped my floors, opened my windows and let in some fresh air. And I changed out my dining room roses for a beautiful arrangement of astro’s and tulips. Nothing says spring time like tulips, and in white, they are so chic.
A spring bouquet for the dining room
Also, yesterday was Ash Wednesday, which means Lent is upon us. I’m not Catholic, but I’ll take any excuse to better my diet, so for the next 39 days, I’m cutting the carbs! This really isn’t a major change for me, I’m just enforcing my existing diet beliefs. I guess the best way to describe my diet would be Paleo, but I hate to associate myself with the Crossfit cult, no offense to any crossfitters, I just don’t do it, but more power to ya. I guess I’m a Naturalist. I feel that the best way to eat is the way my ancestors did–by eating things that can be consumed in their rawest form from nature. Lots of chicken and fish, with red meat maybe once a week and pork every other week, (I don’t have any kind of moral issues with red meat and pork, I’ve just found that when I’m eating really clean, my body has a hard time breaking those things down, and since I want to listen to my body, I probably should limit my intake of them.) I compliment my protein with plenty of fruits and veggies. Leafy greens, broccoli/cauliflower, tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, eggplant, asparagus, all the squashes, peppers and onions, garlic, avocado and cabbage are some of my favorite veggies. On the fruit side I love any kind of berries, kiwi, melons, pineapple, grapefruit, grapes, and tangerines. I try to stay away from carrots, corn, potatoes and bananas, as these contain a lot of sugar and honestly, I just hate the texture of bananas. For snacking, I try to stick to nuts, raw walnuts and almonds preferably, nut butters, hummus and occasionally 1/4 cup servings of cottage cheese or Greek yogurt. I’ve tried to quit dairy all the way around, but I’m a sucker for good cheese and can’t pass up my smattering of feta on my eggs in the mornings. Hey, YOLO. I have not drank milk in over a year now and am now apparently lactose intolerant. However, I absolutely LOVE almond milk. There is a reason why the Blue Diamond Unsweetened Vanilla almond milk is always sold out at my grocery store. It’s delicious AND it only has 30 calories in an 8oz serving!
Typical breakfast
With all that being said about my diet BELIEFS, just like any believer, in my day-to-day life I falter. My diet REALITY is a lot more lax than just that nice little list up there. It’s hard to work in a pub where you’re frying delicious hand-cut french fries and not snag one or two. Off every order. And pretty soon those add up to an order within themselves. Or to tell the sweet old war vet who brings me cookies n’ cream ice cream that I can’t eat it because I’m dieting. Or cheesecake. For God’s sake. I’ll never be able to pass on cheesecake. As I’ve become more in tune with my body over the past few months, I’ve really learned a lot about myself. For example, as the day goes on I lose motivation. I’m a morning person. I wake up with all the ambition in the world. I don’t have food cravings and I get. stuff. done. However, the later in the day it gets, the worse my sweet tooth is, and the less likely I am to stick to goals and you can forget about the gym. Seriously, if I’m not at the gym before 1pm, it’s not gonna happen. And I normally don’t go in to work until 9pm! So imagine how hard it is to not hit the late night diner that serves homemade gourmet cheesecakes until 5am with all my co-workers after a long night of slinging drinks! But I am a firm believer in the 90/10 rule of eating well and exercising 90% of the time so the other 10% can be spent being a disgusting fat slob.
I really need to get it together though since Mitch and I are going on our spring vacation next week to the beach. I absolutely can’t wait. One of my best friends moved to Myrtle Beach right after we graduated high school and even after almost 10 years, is still nice enough to put me up when I get a little spare cash and can manage to get away from work for a few days. With that being said, I’ve spent a lot of time in the ol’ Dirty Myrtle, but since Mitch is going with me this time and he’s not a big drinker or partyer, I wanted to plan some really fun stuff that even I’ve never done before. For instance, one day we are driving down to Georgetown and touring Hopsewee Plantation. I’m obsessed with Southern history and am sure the tour of the house and the following afternoon tea will not disappoint. I’m also excited to get down to the Inlet and enjoy some fresh seafood. JUST NO HUSH PUFFIES!
Mitch and I on our last beach trip
I hope everyone is as excited as myself for the upcoming season. As much as I try to be thankful and enjoy every day, there’s just something so fresh and new and exciting about spring. With everything in nature stirring and coming to life, I can’t help but feel the same on the inside. Hopefully I’ll have some time to update from the beach. Until then, everyone carpe diem!
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Appalachian Barbie 