Dress Those Curves!!

I am a firm believer that you should dress for the job that you want, not the job you have. In other words, in a sea of hoodies and khaki pants a chic pant suit is going to get you noticed by the lady down the hall who also happens to be wearing one and has a corner office and the letter VP following her name on her business card.

On the same token I am a believer that you should dress for the body that you have not the body you want/are trying to get/that Giselle Bundchen has.



Umm, no offense but go away now!



























Don't get me wrong, confidence is hella important and don't let me stop you if wearing a one piece denim jumpsuit (a la Deena on Jersey Shore "Denim, denim, denim"....click here if you have no idea what the heck I'm talking about) if that makes you feel good. I also think beauty and sexiness comes in all shapes and sizes. I am also down right convinced a lot of women could boost their self esteem by simply dressing in a more figure flattering way without needing to lose a single pound! I mean really, who hasn't caught a glimpse of their reflection in a window on a day that they were wearing a great outfit and thought, "damn who is that hottie?!".

So here's where I come in. I am going to share a few of my tips for dressing your bottylisciousness (its a word..Google it if you don't believe me!) in a way that is stylish, sexy and comfortable, because no one, and I mean no one, looks good squirming in and tugging at their clothes all day.

What makes me an expert you ask? I dress a big ol' booty every day and like to think that I have lot of experience with what makes me feel (and hopefully look) my best.

Let's get this party started shall we?


Denim (denim, denim...I couldn't resist!)

Do: Trouser cut or bootleg

Creates a long & lean line from hip to toe.

Lengthens the look of the leg

Great for balancing out fuller hips and thighs.

Don't: Skinny Jeans or "Jeggings"

Draws attention to the width of the hips and thighs

Shortens the look of the leg

I know, I know, the title of the blog includes Skinny Jeans! And I'm not telling you NOT to wear them. But if you are in the mood for the most figure flattering denim option they might not be your number one choice. Just sayin'

Skirts

Do: Pencil cut

Creates a long and lean line from the waist down

Accentuates a smaller waist, creating an hour glass shape

Don't: Ruffled skirt

Adds bulk to the hips and butt

Draws the eye across the body (as opposed to down) which makes hips appear wider

Shirts

Do: Belted (or darted) blouse

Accentuates the smallest part of the waist

Lengthens appearance of torso by falling on the hips

Draws attention up to the mid-body and face (especially if paired with neutral bottoms)

Don't: Baby Doll or Empire Waisted Shirts

Lacks definition to the natural waist (widening effect)

Extra fabric can add unwanted bulk

I am unabashedly against the baby doll style on a body like mine. Bottom line: A full chest and a baby doll shirt will get you "are you pregnant" looks all damn day!

Dresses

Do: The Classic Little Black dress

A-line balances out hips and thighs

Higher waist creates hourglass look

Detailed neckline draws attention up and to the neck and face

Black is slimming

Don't: The Bubble Dress

No definition in the waist

Adds width to hips due to lack of contrast

Bunched fabric on the bottom add bulk to thighs

Another big no for me. A larger chest will also cause the dress to hang even more loosely and have folks wondering when you are due to pop that lil' one out!

Shoes

Do: Nude pumps

Colour makes the leg appear longer

Draws attention up to the body and face

Heel makes the calves and thigh appear more defined

Creates height and lengthens the whole body

Don't: Tie up sandals

Draws attention to leg and ankle area

Shortens look of leg

Miss Kardashian is only 5'2 and looks way tall because of the shoes don't you think? And if you don't trust me, that girl has some experience dressing a serious behind!

So there you have it... A few suggestions to go from feeling so-so to sassy with a few minor adjustments to your wardrobe.

And I will say, I do wear skinny jeans from time to time but if I am looking for a confidence boost its a chic little black dress or a pair of trousers for the win!!

So tell me, whats your best style advice?

Finding My Healthy, Happy Weight

Based on the comments from yesterday's post it seems that tracking food, calories and exercise is much more common than I realized!

It's great to see so many of you taking advantage of the free online applications that allow you to better manage your healthy and balanced lifestyle. And for those of you who aren't able to use tracking due to a previous ED, I am proud that you acknowledge your triggers and avoid them for the sake of your health and well being. Good job everyone!!

As I was writing yesterday's post I asked myself why I was hesitant to discuss weight loss and weight management on my blog. After all its MY blog right? I guess the truth is I didn't want to be judged as vain. I also didn't want to offend anyone. I want this to be a positive space but I also want it to be candid and real and so with that I will say this:

I am currently working towards a weight loss goal of 15lbs.

Yes, I recently posted bikini photos in an effort to demonstrate my self-confidence but I will argue that wanting to lose weight and being confident are not mutually exclusive. I am not ashamed of what I look like today in any way. That being said, I know that I am 15lbs heavier then I was last year when I was taking better care of my self from a nutritional perspective.



Happy weight..curves included!



Thus, I know that my happy weight is my current weight less 15 lbs. Its a happy weight because I can maintain it through regular exercise and a wholesome diet but without deprivation or drastic restrictions.

Its also my happy weight because I am comfortable in my own skin but I maintain the feminine curves that I (and the Boyfriend) adore so much!

It took my some time to accept that my happy weight isn't a size 2. I struggled with the idea that I might never be as thin as some of the other women I know. But now I recognize that I am not a size 2 because I have full breasts and muscular quads and a booty that might give Beyonce a run for her money and those are things that I am 100% content with.

Me at my happy weight will never fit into a size 2 and I am fine with that. I'm just not that woman and thank goodness because how boring would we be if we were all cookie cutters of Natalie Portman anyway??

I'm happy with who I am but I can also admit I am a work in progress. My goal is to be the healthiest and happiest that I can be and that's a lifetime quest!

So tell me, do you have a "happy" weight? How do you define it?

Accountability vs. Obsession

I'll admit, I am apprehensive to discuss weight and weight loss on my blog. I have witnessed a great deal of controversy in the healthy living community with respects to this highly sensitive subject and I have always opted to tread lightly (or barely at all)

The truth is, while I recognize and agree that our society puts a lot of emphasis on body image and a distorted understanding of what the ideal female shape is, I still believe weight and weight loss are topics that can't be ignored.




Source


To me weight serves as one of the (but not the only) key indicators of health.

A healthy body weight, when achieved through good nutrition and adequate physical activity, signals that we are providing our bodies with the fuel to perform at an optimal level on the inside and out.

Additionally, I can't help but look at weight maintenance as a preventative measure against diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

So yes, while it can be difficult to discern what a healthy weight and body shape is, and in many case it is varied from person to person based on a set of circumstances, I will come right out and say that I believe people do need to be held accountable for their health.

Food, exercise, rest and stress reduction are a part of health. When done properly these all lead to a healthy weight.

Thus, healthy weight=accountability, at least in my opinion.

I don't look past the fact that for some people a focus on weight becomes obsessive. Then again, I don't believe it necessarily goes hand in hand with obsession either. I believe many people (although perhaps not all) can hold themselves closely accountable without bordering on compulsion.

Okay, let me take a step back. I'm not a doctor or a trained professional in this area, so I will continue by talking about myself specifically:

I believe I can and SHOULD track my eating habits and exercise patterns because this keeps me accountable and therefore healthy. Believe me when I say I want to be healthy. I really do. But sometimes its just to easy to "forget" about the Easter eggs you snuck before dinner or underestimate the number of calories in a yummy drink from your local coffee house.

Sometimes its easy for me to let myself slip, again and again and again. And then, as if out of no where I am feeling sluggish, my pants are much tighter, I have a reoccurring headache and I've gained 10lbs. Ooops!? Yeah, not exactly.

Enter My Fitness Pal, an online application that allows me to plug in my goal (weight loss, weight maintenance etc), my personal details including my activity level and voila I am given my calorie target. Throughout the day I input all the food and beverages that I consume and their calorie totals are subtracted from my initial target, ultimately determining if I am on target, over or under.

My favorite things about the tool are:

• I am able to input my exercise for the day which add to my calorie target. In all honesty my target is quite low on a daily basis but when I exercise for 30 minutes or more I definitely have a more manageable calorie allotment for the day. (This has increased my motivation to workout pretty significantly)

• The tool tracks saturated fat, fibre, protein and other nutritional information which are just as valuable as calories for overall health

• The tool recognizes foods from my local grocery chain and restaurants which makes tracking quick and easy

• Seeing the calorie content makes me take a closer look at the food I eat and the portion sizes. I am much less likely to overindulge if I know what a portion looks like or that the entire appetizer is 960cal (This happened today and I nearly fell off my chair. I didn't but proceeded to eat a 1/4 and "donated" the rest to The Boyfriend)

• The tool has a Blackberry App so I can continue to track on the go. (The App is available for iPhone also)

I would honestly recommend this to anyone who want to track their eating and exercise habits for the short or long term. And while I would gather that many people are attracted to the tool for weight loss purposes I genuinely believe it can be beneficial for so much more then that.

Not everyone has pounds to lose but I do believe the vast majority of people could benefit from a closer inspection of the food that they eat for all the aspects of nutrition, calories included or not.

That said, I would not recommend this to anyone that has dealt with certain patterns of disordered eating as I fear that it could be a trigger for severe restriction.

My plan is to use the tool for a least a month in order to adopt the habits associated with eating the rights foods and enough (but not too much) of them.

 I will say that I am struggling with some binge eating issues (I discussed them here in the past) that I will address in future blog posts but this is a positive step in the right direction for me to get back on track with respects to my eating patterns.

I will update you in a month with my experiences using this tool and the impact it has had on my health-focused lifestyle.


So tell me, do you track your food intake or exercise? How do you feel about weight loss in the blog world?


*Please note that these are my honest opinions about the online application My Fitness Pal. I am not affiliated with the product or company and do not receive compensation for using or reviewing the application

I'm Too Sexy For My ,,,,

First off I want to take a moment and thank you all for your comments on my last post. I am flattered, I really really am!! There was a day when a bikini photo wouldn't have been taken let alone posted to the Internet for anyone to see. I am glad I have gotten to this point. Jena said it best: It's empowering.

Seeing all of your comments coming in really got me thinking about self confidence (mine and others) and where it comes from. In the past, my own confidence came from (near) perfection. If I got an A+ on a paper I felt great. If I won a public speaking competition or was top of my class I felt proud and held my head high. If in someone else's estimation I was the funniest/smartest/prettiest girl I would smile ear to ear. On those days I was confident.

On the days when I wasn't the funniest, didn't get the best grade or found out I'd gotten a few questions wrong on an exam my confidence took a nose dive. But why? Only days earlier I was on top of the world. How could a 90% test score or someone else being called the most attractive girl in school change all that?

Perspective.

You see it was never about what it meant to be the best so much as how I viewed not being the best. The errors, the room for improvement, the good but not good enough. Even when I did well I would dwell on how I could have done better. And it has literally robbed me of so much pride and joy that I should have taken in the accomplishments that I have made.

Now is my chance to change all that. As I said yesterday I am not at my ideal weight but that doesn't mean that I can't be happy with the way I look or feel. If I focus on the positives (I love my curves in a sassy dress) instead of the negatives (I wish I had slimmer thighs) I am a happier girl without losing a single pound!

Similarly I can choose to look at what I am doing to get ready for my upcoming 1/2 marathon (super hydrating. eating a variety of wholesome food, cross training) instead of obsessing about all the miles I didn't run or hills I didn't train on. Race day will come either way so its up to me to decide how I want to feel about it when it gets here.

Realistically my life was never and will never be perfect. There will be bumps in the road, I will fall down and get back up, I will make mistakes, come in 2nd (or 302nd) and fly under the radar. Slowly but surely I am learning that its more than fine to be a work in progress. I'm perfectly imperfect and and that's is fine by me.

And if all else fails, I get an A+ in sass. Heck, I've got some to share if you're interested!!

So tell me, what makes you feel confident? Go ahead and brag!

Healthy Living on Vacation: How Did I Do??

You may recall that I wrote a post outlining my approach to healthy living while on vacation prior to leaving for Cuba. In it I detailed that while I was on vacation I was not completely abandoning all the key elements of a healthy lifestyle like nutritious eats and physical activity.

So how did I do with that you ask?

Ok. Not great, not terrible.

I did run, albeit it was once and only 25 minutes but I still made the effort to lace up my sneakers and get out there.

I ate healthy foods like fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, chicken and rice.

I definitely relaxed..by the pool..on the beach..in the hotel lobby...in my room...pretty much everywhere I could! I read trashy gossip magazines, started a new book and caught up with my best friend. In the relaxation department I think I get top marks!


On the flip side I also ate not so healthy things like donuts, chocolate and ice cream. But c'mon, it was free and unlimited! Whats a girl to do really?

I also drank more then I needed to and paid the price big time. I don't have any photos to share of that moment...you're welcome for that!

And I ended up with health issues has a result of not taking proper care of my self and my eyes. Stupid mistake and one that I can't afford to make again. Seeing is kind of a big deal to me!!

If you ever take any of my advice (despite any medical certification or training) please remember to take out your contact lenses when you sleep. Hypoxia is a scary, painful and inconvenient thing. Take my word for it.

So yes, there were lessons learned on this vacation such as: one tequila, two tequila three tequila...you're sick as a dog and will miss the much awaited trip on a catamaran. But even more importantly I came back with a refreshed perspective and the knowledge that I need to:

• take more time to relax on a regular basis and not wait for an annual vacation to decompress.

• accept the things I cannot change. To put it bluntly, shit happens. Sometimes you can't do anything but go with it.

• embrace who you are right now. I'm not at my ideal weight and all my pants are a little snug but I am confident and I feel good about the me that I am and that I will be. Getting back on track with my healthy little life will only add to that sentiment. But for now I am comfortable enough to post a *gasp* bathing suit picture and not care who see it or what he/she might think about it either!!

Self-love as a souvenir? I'll take it!


So tell me, whats the best thing you ever brought home from vacation?