Freestyles: Self-Imposed Challenges!

WARNING: NOT HAIR RELATED

Ok, so of course one of my New Year's Resolutions like many others is to lose weight! While in my last position I gained around 60lbs in less than a year. Well, I quit my job and decided to go to school full time. I thought I'd lose the weight prior to entering law school. NOT. I thought I'd lose the weight by the end of my first semester. NOT. So here I am, on the verge of entering my second semester and the number on my pesky scale has been creeping up instead of down. I used to be some what of a gym rat years ago, but LIFE happened, and the weight piled on. My father recently sent a few pics of a vacation we took in the Bahamas in mid 2009...wow, what a difference. I've decided to use the pics as motivation to get my physical body back in shape. Besides, a healthy diet and exercise can only be a positive for my hair growth right?

MID 2009: BAHAMAS (sew-in weave short cut)


LATE 2009: LONDON (short wig)


DEC 2010: FLORIDA (Uggh! I'm disgusted)


I've gotta lose this weight!
Later ladies...

---Reese

You can do it Reese!!! I picked up a few pounds over the holidays that I want to get loose too. Good luck on your fitness journey!!!

Reese you are not alone!

Reese we all can lose a few. Hang in there you can do it. I need to lose a good 25 pounds...so I'm with you on this journey. I plan to eliminate sweets, and drink plenty of water for starters. Gotta figure out how to get that gym in my schedule.

Good luck you can do it!!

Hey Ladies...hope all is well and I pray everyone's 2011 is off to a fantastic start. Only 3 days into the new year and I've worked out in some form or another all 3 days! WHOO-HOO!

Dug up a real motivational picture: This is me in May 2009! Less than 2 years ago! This is what I'm trying my best to get back to. I've set a goal of getting back to this weight and muscle tone by August 2011 or before... WISH ME LUCK!





Thanks so much for your support!

I'm anxiously awaiting my Senegalese Twist appointment this Friday...I was going to henna and indigo again, but I think I'll pass. Just planning to do a steam treatment and deep condition prior to my salon visit. Also, I didn't trim this time around, but I think I'll definitely need a trim at the end of this twist stretch! Hopefully when I reveal my tresses I'll reveal a new body too, lol. Later gals...

---Reese

That is great inspiration!!

I started the biggest loser workout on the Kinect yesterday. I didn't think I did much but clearly I did...I am aching today. I am set to workout again tmrw..

hi there,

I am back on my fitness grind too. It so hard with the comfort foods calling your name when it's cold outside. BUT WE CAN DO IT!! WE CAN ALL DO IT!!
WE JUST HAVE TO DO IT.....

Hey ladies!

Well my Barbados braids have started to look a bit rusty and I'm being a bit lazy when it comes to my hair so guess what? I dusted off a few of my "girls". For those of you that don't know, I call my wigs my "girls." Over a period of time, I accumulated between 50-60 wigs when I was on my wig kick. They even had their own closet(2 actually)! Now that I've moved and downsized since entering school full time again, my girls no longer have their own closet

They've been reduced to large ziplock bags and bunched up into a large tupperware bin. They are SO mad at me!

Anywho, here are my girls over the past few days (no budget for any new ones)...

CHURCH SUNDAY






GYM GIRL


I wanted to do another twist out before hiding my hair with the senegalese twists on Friday but with wash day scheduled on Thursday...I'm not so sure.

---Reese

They both look good ...

The girls are back!

T-H-E G-I-R-L-S A-R-E-B-A-C-K!!!!

The "gym girl" is really cute!!!

omg free...u are hilaaaaarious... u got alot goin on over here. i think it took me a good hour to catch up...in between workin a fire at work but i love ur story. so jealous cuz i'd love to go to barbados **cue rude boy song** but umm yea when i seen ur pics earlier i was like "why is she takin pics wit rollers at a beauty supply store " then u said it was ur closet

but doesnt that suck for u to be so excited to show off ur natural pride only for them to straight dog u out now u find urself defending YOUR decision! now holllld up n stop the presses...u are NOT alone wit the weight issue. LIFE definitely happens cuz i have no idea how an extra 40lbs creeped up on me within the last year no i havent been as skinny as you since high school but uh...did u get a boob job? cuz u go from lil TLC boobs in the 1st pic to anna nicole's on the 2nd one...BTW...i love that dress too!! i look back at my pics from early last year and im just ashamed in myself. its so hard to keep up wit a workout reggie, its like ok i dont deserve to eat this but the buffalo wings n chocolate keep callin me...i did manage to start the kick off wit losin 5lbs and thats from doin little stuff; not eating late, lack of fried foods, i dont drink soda's so it wasnt hard but i DO dilute my juice or drink waters with lemon ONLY! if i can stop havin ADD when doin aerobics n exercise vids on tv i could get somewhere, til then i do exercise games on the wii like zumba..which really is fun!

good luck though free, either way u are lookin good.

LOVE THE GIRLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NubieNatty wrote:omg free...u are hilaaaaarious... u got alot goin on over here. i think it took me a good hour to catch up...in between workin a fire at work but i love ur story. so jealous cuz i'd love to go to barbados **cue rude boy song** but umm yea when i seen ur pics earlier i was like "why is she takin pics wit rollers at a beauty supply store " then u said it was ur closet

but doesnt that suck for u to be so excited to show off ur natural pride only for them to straight dog u out now u find urself defending YOUR decision! now holllld up n stop the presses...u are NOT alone wit the weight issue. LIFE definitely happens cuz i have no idea how an extra 40lbs creeped up on me within the last year no i havent been as skinny as you since high school but uh...did u get a boob job? cuz u go from lil TLC boobs in the 1st pic to anna nicole's on the 2nd one...BTW...i love that dress too!! i look back at my pics from early last year and im just ashamed in myself. its so hard to keep up wit a workout reggie, its like ok i dont deserve to eat this but the buffalo wings n chocolate keep callin me...i did manage to start the kick off wit losin 5lbs and thats from doin little stuff; not eating late, lack of fried foods, i dont drink soda's so it wasnt hard but i DO dilute my juice or drink waters with lemon ONLY! if i can stop havin ADD when doin aerobics n exercise vids on tv i could get somewhere, til then i do exercise games on the wii like zumba..which really is fun!

good luck though free, either way u are lookin good.

Nubie - you are too funny - love your personality

Haha Nubie!

NO boob-job here! Whenever I lose weight (yo-yo dieter for years) my breasts are the first to go and shrivel up like raisins! And the last to go? My big belly of course. First boobs, then butt, then belly...that's how my body operates. I was definitely heavier in the 2nd picture, but a big difference is because the 1st was with no bra, 2nd with a bra.

That pic made them look way smaller than they really were too. Better pic:



Unfortunately I went from a 34B (college days) and now holding steady at a 42 D!!! WTH? Anywho, I guarantee once I stick to working out a few months straight I'll get my raisins back!!! It's funny because I used to wish for bigger breasts in highschool, but now that I have them all these years later, I want to give them back!


---Reese:afro:

u can do it freestyle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yo, your buffed body reminds me of mine when i lived in europe for a min; i was in the best shape of my life!! i kinda wanna put the pic up on fb cuz am proud of it (yo, i had six/8 pack during those days), but my hair?? not so much...

i really need to get my act together, too...my behind playing mas in march....and i can't have them photos on fb, tjj, toronto-lime, etc showing me a hot mess. and i am going on a strenuous hiking trip to africa in the summer, and i need to be on point with my stamina...sigh...you can do it, freestyle!!

I love your girls especially gym girl. Is that one human hair? I'm going to get a wig this weekend, and I want one just like gym girl!!

Nubie is too funny...I've had boobs all my life, and now that I'm more seasoned...LOL I appreciate that my boobs keep me balanced. So no matter how much weight I gain...I still have somewhat of a shape!!! Still no excuse...I'm going to still lose 25lbs by my birthday which is in June!!!

Well, my senegalese twist appointment is set for tomorrow at an African Braiding Salon. I'm excited! I'm in the 2011 Grow Your Hair Challenge over on on the challenge thread, and since I plan to keep the twists the entire semester, it works out perfectly since the challenge is from Jan-April!

I've also implemented a few personal challenges of my own. One pertains to my weight loss goals. I have SO MANY CLOTHES!!! Not because I'm a shop-a-holic, but more so because I'm a pack rat! I have clothes that still have tags on them and can't even remember when I purchased them! So I'm entering a self-imposed: SHOP IN YOUR OWN CLOSET CHALLENGE 2011!!!

This means: NO CLOTHING PURCHASES FOR 2011!

I guess I should be more specific. I have clothes in my closet(s) ranging from a size 2 to a size 16! Why? Because I've been a yo-yo dieter for the past 6+ years. Each year for the past few years I end up being able to wear most sizes in my closet because my weight unfortunately fluctuates just that much! Sad, but true


My challenge entails that I cannot buy new clothes until either:

1.) I meet my weight loss goal (65lbs)
or
2.) January 1, 2012

I figure this should be incentive enough for me to get my butt in gear since most of my "cute clothes" are the smaller sizes. It will also help me to save some money too. My wallet acts like I'm not in school full time, so I must TIGHTEN UP!

EXCEPTIONS:
-I'll allow myself 3 free passes for special occassions only (weddings, parties, etc.)

-I'll allow myself to get my favorite clothing items altered to accomodate my shrinking waist!


Challenge #2:
As a self-admitted product junkie, I have decided to try to use up my products as much as I can. Especially those products that I'm not the biggest fan of (hate to throw money down the drain). If I absolutely hate it, such as Herbal Essence Hello Hydration, I will give it away.

So this morning, after my gym workout, I used some Dr. Miracle growth oil (that stuff kinda burns/tingles) and all of some off brand detangling conditioner (Africa's Best Instant Detangling Conditoner with Aloe Vera) I bought from the BSS some months back, as well as some olive oil. My hair is currently under a shower cap but I will be rinsing it out soon in preparation for my twists tomorrow.

Today's Hair Plans:

--Rinse Oil/Conditioner Mixture from hair
--Shampoo
--Condition + Detangle
--Add deep conditioner + 4-6 flat twists
--Shower cap/Wig Combo (to run my errands while deep conditioning)
--Steam Treatment
--Rinse Conditioner
--Leave-In Treatment
--Sit under hooded dryer + 4-6 flat twists
--Band damp/dry hair for stretching
--DONE!

After taking out Barbados Braids:


Coming soon: LENGTH CHECK FOR JAN 2011:

Sorry for the long post, but thanks if you hung in there!
Reese