Keto Reset Challenge Day 14 – Everyday Beauty Is Back With Abandon!!!

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mud mask

My first mud facial in more than a year! It felt so great, it’s time to get back to doing these twice a week.

A mud facial here…eyeliner there…soon I’m back to exfoliating once a week. Yeah, baby! My beauty routine is back with abandon. What does this have to do with my Keto reset? Everything!

Most people think keto or low carb reset is all about the food. It’s not. There is so much more. There is a reason people talk about making a lifestyle change. Healthy living/dieting is 95% food and 100% mental. When I start focusing on how I look each day and I’m not thinking about weight that is a good thing.

Wednesday morning was when I finally felt like I was turning the corner with this blasted cold. After brushing my teeth, instead of heading downstairs for some coffee, I looked at myself in the mirror for a few seconds. Then I just naturally reached for my make up drawer and put on my tinted moisturizer.

Next up the eye primer. Eye shadow and liner followed in short order. Next thing I know I’m brushing on bronzer and slapping on lipstick.

Without thinking about it, my old 10-minute make up routine just kicked in.

Happiness ensued…until I noticed the bed head that I was wearing. Curlers plugged in and within 15 minutes, I’m sporting a quick and easy hairstyle.

I use to call this Everyday Beauty. Just taking a few minutes each morning to doll myself up for me and no one else. I started wearing make up when I went low carb. It wasn’t vanity. It was about showing myself a little TLC after years of beating myself up.

Thankfully this reset restored that sense of pride in oneself. I didn’t have to work on it.

It just happened.

That tells me I’ve turned an important corner in this reset. I was too focused on eating the right things (always important) that I forgot about the mental side of getting healthy.

Learn About Dot’s Weight Loss Make Up Make Over Here and learning about what to wear as I slimmed down.

Fall’s Here: Time For A Facial Routine

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How do I know fall is here? Right on cue there’s a chill to the evening air, the leaves are turning color and my skin is drying out. Once the weather turns cooler my hands and legs become itchy and flaky. There was never enough lotion in the world to stop the itching. Of course I’d always start applying lotion consistently when the painful cracks appeared.

Thankfully my fear of loose skin kicked my daily care routine into high gear. I’m much more proactive, applying lotion daily and staying hydrated (water really is the key to great skin!). Unfortunately I was so focused on all the areas with loose skin (my body) that my facial routine went out the window.

So it shouldn’t be that big of a shock when I woke up this morning with a dry, flaky nose and forehead. Ugh! Read More

Needed: A New Skin Care Routine

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I’ve been so worried about combating loose skin I’ve neglected my face. Luckily for me I don’t have too much sagging facial skin with the weight loss. However in the last few months I’m noticing more acne, some flakiness and small spots on my left cheek. And the circles and puffiness around my eyes has got to go.

But where to start. There are so many products. How do you know the good from the crap? And what type of skin do I really have. Yes I have some flakiness but some spots are oily. I guess that’s combo skin.

Fortunately make-up guru Lisa Eldridge has some great videos on skin care.

You can find the second part of this video here and the update here.

Plan of Action
I know I need a cleanser, exfoliator, eye cream and sunscreen. However, I think my very first step is getting a facial.

A facial would exfoliate the dead cells, clean out the blackheads, open up pores, increase circulation, and super hydrate my skin. But the real value is learning what type of skin I really have and getting advice on the products I need.

That could save me time and money.

Once I have a handle on my skin, then I can head out to the local drug store.

Of course, its one thing to buy this stuff. It’s another to actually build a new skin care routine.

Goodness…I need to make more room in my bathroom cabinet!

Weight Loss & Wedding Rings

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new ring

A new ring to rule them all…yep I got my new wedding band for Valentine’s and lost nearly 4 sizes in the process. Yay!

My husband surprised me on Valentine’s Day with a new wedding band. I haven’t worn my wedding band or engagement ring since April 2013. That’s when I tried to dry my hands by frantically waiving them in the air the rings flew off my finger. Thankfully I was home at the time and found them.

After that incident, I put my rings up for safekeeping thinking I can resize them once I hit goal. Turns out, resizing was out of the question due to how the stones were set within the band. Grrrr!

So nearly 3 years later, I’m down 145 pounds and have 30 more to go, but the husband thought enough time passed and I needed a new wedding band.

I settled on a band similar to the original — sapphires and diamonds (stones not embedded into the band) but with white instead of yellow gold. The big shock came when measuring my finger. I went from a size 10-1/2 to 6-3/4.

Yikes! I was so busy focusing on losing weight in the obvious places — stomach, thighs, bat wings arms, and butt — I never expected fat loss from my hands.

But I’m not complaining. All weight loss victories are welcome.

 

 

History of Make-Up: Best & Worst

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The other day I picked up the latest Urban Decay “Naked” eye shadow palette — Smokey. I really sweated over this one because while I love the smokey look, I have no clue how to apply it. But since I’m all about the importance of weight loss makeovers, I need to experiment with different looks to see what works best for me. Sure I’ll screw up, but that’s part of playing around, right?

As I searched online for a “how to” video, I came across Lisa Eldridge’s video on the history of make-up.

Eldridge starts with ancient Egypt and ends with the 21st Century, carefully painting her face to showcase each era while giving viewers a history lesson. It’s awesome and fun, especially learning how views of make up have evolved overtime.

Facelift Friday Fun

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I’ve done lots of before and after photos, but none really focused on how my face changed since going low carb. Wow! I never realized by head was that fat chunky.

facelift friday oct 2What the photo doesn’t capture? How my skin improved after going low carb. No more breakouts or dry, flaky skin. That added bonus: I’m constantly told by family, friends and my doctor that I look much younger. Granted I take what the hubby and friends say with a grain of salt, but not my doctor!

Awesome Body Image Message: ‘All About That Bass’

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All About That Bass, Body Image Message

Sure I’m late to the party on this one, but I do love the body image message in “All About That Bass.”

Catching up on reading some of my favorite blogs, I came across this post about the song All About That Bass. I’ve never heard of this song before. As my husband and good friend Elizabeth will attest about me — I’m not very pop culture savvy, especially when it comes to music.

I gave the music a try and found that while I enjoyed the beat, it was the lyrics that hit home with me.

I think I’ve given up on our current culture because it seems so vapid and narcissistic to me. It’s rare you find positive messages, especially on body image. Let’s face it, as much as we love recent ads that focus on women of all shapes, sizes and ages, they are barely a drop in the bucket compared to images of “perfect” looking people in magazines, marketing, product packaging, ads, TV news… Read More

New Jeans — From Size 28 To 14!

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My old, size 28 jeans use to be too tight on me. But I refused to go up a size.

My old, size 28 jeans use to be too tight on me. But I refused to go up a size. Now, 140 lbs. later, I’ve cut my pant size in half.

Well with the recent loss of inches around my waist it was time to see if I could slide into a pair of new skinny jeans or if I’m still stuck in between sizes. As of this morning I wore a baggy size 16.

My plans were almost derailed as Old Navy was nearly depleted of size 14 jeans. After a lot of digging around, I found a pair and headed to the fitting room.

No More Fitting Room Blues…For Now
I had a flash back to the first time I entered this same store’s fitting room nearly 2 years ago during my weight loss makeover. Panic took hold of me as I thought nothing would fit.

This time around, no butterflies in the tummy. I was mildly curious…and a bit cocky. It’s not that I don’t have dressing room meltdowns on occasion. Macy’s still freaks me out. Read More

Closet Cleanse: Hitting Self-Image Reset After Weight Loss

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Cleaning out the closet. If it doesn't fit me, it is no longer allowed in my closet. These fine threads are headed for Goodwill, where they will find a new home.

Cleaning out the closet. If it doesn’t fit me, it’s no longer in my closet. These fine threads are headed for Goodwill, where they will find a new home.

Today I’m in cleaning mode. Cleaning out the closet, refrigerator, kitty litter, car, and anything else I can get my little hands on. I must say the closet excited me the most. Other than that one pair of fat jeans, I’m no longer keeping clothes that don’t fit anymore.

Paring Down All Those Sizes
When I started my journey in 2012, my closet had three types of clothes:

  1. Fits me now.
  2. Almost fits.
  3. Awesome things I used to wear 5 years ago, and if my new diet works, I can fit into again.

To get into the right mindset, I tossed (donated) all the “almost fit” clothes. I kept those awesome old clothes to inspire me to again fit into them. But as the weight came off, I realized I didn’t want those 5-year-old clothes. It was time for something more fashionable.  Read More

Time For New Running Shoes

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Saucony Hurricane ISO

Caution: Shoes are much more neon yellow than they appear! Introducing the new Saucony Hurricane ISO, my new running shoe!

After my 5K Saturday morning, the hubby got the running bug. A few years ago he got into running but thanks to work and “the state of The World” (of Warcraft),” he got sidetracked. Well now that he is working out at the gym and mostly sticking to his low carb foods, he wants to take up running again.

Sunday we headed over to Pacers, a local running store, for a proper shoe fitting. Thinking ahead, I wore my running shoes. Was it time for a new pair? Turns out, the answer was a big yes!

Unlike past sneakers, the outer heel wasn’t worn down — a sign I’m an underpronator. I have high arches so my feet are less flexible than most people. Underpronation is a fancy way of saying my feet don’t absorb the impact of running because they don’t roll inward enough. Read More