I love Michelle Phan and I'm a big fan of her makeup tutorials on Youtube. I thought this was a great one about finding the perfect red lip color. She works for Lancome Paris now, so this video is for Lancome specific lipstick, but I still think it has some good info.
Stemming from another blog post I read, I thought I'd do a post about how I lost my baby weight + and how I've managed to keep it off.
I've always been a fan of some sort of exercise. Dancing, walking, pilates, and some slight running have been in my life since about 1997 (with the exception of pilates, that came in 2005).
However, this is the skinniest/healthiest I've ever been since mid-school I think. There are few factors that have come into play. The biggest two are calorie intake and exercise.
I gained 40 lbs during my pregnancy with twins. After I had them, I lost about 15 lbs instantly. Then about 10 more over the next week or two. Once I realized no more weight was going to just magically fall off (darn it), I decided to take action. I am just NOT ok feeling fat and uncomfortable in my own skin. I'm not a huge fan of Oprah, but one of my favorite quotes comes from her. She said, "I hate working out. I hated it yesterday, today, and will hate it tomorrow. But I hate being fat even more." I totally agree with that statement! Another quote that always comes to mind is "I don't alter clothes to fit my body, I alter my body to fit the clothes I like." Devil Wears Prada maybe? I can't remember. It makes me laugh because of how ridiculous it is, but it's totally how I feel!
Anyway, I had to wait 6 weeks to heal from my c-section, but at week 6 I started walking on the treadmill. Over the week, I started increasing walking into running. I ran on the treadmill for about 3 or 4 months until I lost another 20 lbs. It sucked, and I have never really liked running, but I made myself do it every.single.day. So, when the babies were like 5 months old I had lost all the baby weight, plus 16 more lbs.
Not working has really helped me lose weight and keep it off also. When I was working, people would bring donuts or bagels for breakfast, and then I'd snack on chocolate or other candy at my desk, then we'd all go out for a big lunch, more snacking, and then I'd come home to eat a big dinner to relax. Not to mention, birthday cakes and other crap that was constantly in the lunch room. I was taking in WAY more calories than I needed, and way more than I was burning off.
Once I became a stay-at-home mom, I started eating healthy. I started eating a ton of fruit, salads, veggies, rice cakes for snacks (sounds gross, but they're really good!), baked chips and other baked snacks, and baked chicken with steamed veggies. I don't eat red meat (haven't for years). I also started drinking protein fruit smoothies. I have another post on here about those, but they basically consist of organic fruit, light soy milk, splenda, almonds, and a dash of fiber and protein powder. They are delicious and I'm totally addicted!
We try not to go out to eat very often, and we try to stay away from fast food as much as we can. This is hard for me because I love McDonald's french fries and cinnamelt!!
When we do go out to eat, I keep aware of portion sizes. I usually eat less than half what comes on the plate, and save the rest for a later meal. I also try to choose somewhat healthy options.
I don't have to walk or do pilates as much now that I have two toddlers that keep me very active. But, I still throw those things in there at least twice a week. I take the jogger stroller and jog the babies over to the park and I'll do pilates in the morning sometimes. I try to run on the treadmill when I can, but I've been lacking with that lately.
The bottom line for me is calorie intake and exercise. Once I got those things in check, the weight really stays off pretty easily. It fluctuates a couple lbs here and there, but the main thing is that I feel great! I feel healthy. Sure, I'd like to lose another 10 lbs, but I don't think that's necessary. Really I just want to keep toning up what I have.
This may not be the answer for everyone. I just know what works for me. I have friends that have had great success with Weight Watchers. The key is to find what works best for you and stick with it! :) Also, try not to obsess over numbers on the scale (I'm guilty of this). As long as you're healthy and feel good about yourself, that's all that matters!
Here are the Valentine's Day cupcakes I made yesterday. Cherry chip icing and french vanilla cake. Yummmmm!!!
I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day! XOXO
I LOVE cupcakes. I love to make them, eat them, decorate them, etc. I think I have another cupcake post on here somewhere...
Anyway, I wanted to post the cupcakes I made this weekend for a friend's Twilight themed birthday party. These were pretty rushed, and I threw them together in about an hour. I've done better, but I still thought they turned out cute.
The white icing sparkled (like Edward) but it was hard to take a picture of.
For the fun of it, here are the turkey cupcakes I made this past Thanksgiving. I don't think I ever posted a pic of them. They were a big hit and I loved the way they turned out!
My husband does not like to toot his own horn, so I'm left to toot it for him. Hmm... that sounded weird, LOL.
ANYWAY...
Nathan was in the Navy, therefore he has the GI bill. The GI bill enabled him to continue going to school for free. Since I'm a stay-at-home mom, he still had to work full time. So with working full time, taking care of infant twins, and going to school full time, he completed his Masters Degree in Nuclear Physics! We just went to his ceremony last month.
Not the best pic, but it's the only one I got:
Along with all the above mentioned things, he also works for Marvel's database on the side. He is the busiest guy I know!
He just recently got promoted at work into a more secure position including better benefits, better security, and an increase in pay.
I'm so proud of my physicist! Great job Nathan!! :*
I just had to post a quick pic of these Aldo shoes I just bought. These are mainly for my sister-in-law's wedding in September. I'm the maid of honor and the bridal party is all wearing nude pumps. But I will totally get use out of these for other occasions also!
They were $90 on the Aldo website, I had them in my cart ready to check out and was getting my credit card when... POOF! They sold out!!!!!! I was SO pissed!!!
So I did a frantic google search and found them on 6pm. I already know and love this website, so I knew it was legit. They had the exact ones for $54!! I got them as fast as I could, and got the LAST pair!! They were then sold out!! It was meant to be!! :)
I like these so much I'm considering getting them in black also. I love Aldo!
I can't believe I lost two cats last year... :(
Anyway, this is a happy post! I'm introducing our new Bengal, Leo. We waited a long time for him, we wanted to save our money and make sure we were making a good decision and getting what we were paying for.
He's amazing! His mother and father are both top winning show cats. In fact, his father is the Supreme Grand Champion (3x) brown bengal. His mom has placed top in a lot of categories also.
I'm usually a huge advocate for rescuing animals. In fact, this is the first pet I've owned that I haven't rescued. I feel guilty for it in part, but this will be our only animal that we'll ever own that is not rescued.
He is very, very wild. I mean, out of control wild. Bengals are bread from actual leopards, and he definitely lets you know it! He jumps really high, meows a lot, and attacks and plays constantly. He also loves playing in water. He spills all the water out of his bowl to play in it and he's always jumping in the bath when there's water. He is also always at the sink. He's so fun but a lot of work! I have to keep his nails trimmed like every day or else he'll cut you and it hurts!
Here are some pics: These were taken when he was 14 weeks old. 
Here he is trying to make friends with my super sweet 5 year old cat, Zoey:
©2009^..^Pin-Up Kitten^..^ | by TNB
