Taking it back, Living Single style with my 90’s button up from Father and Son and denim skirt from Talbots. If you don’t already know, I’ve been on this vintage kick ever since I attempted to give my clothes away for money to a couple of consignment shops and they told me my clothes were old and not worth much. After that nonsense, I decided I would no longer spend tons and tons of dollars shopping for items at the mall and online that would only be worth a few bucks a couple of years down the road. Don’t get me wrong, I occasionally get an updated piece here and there if it’s extremely discounted and available in my size but for the most part, I’m shopping vintage now.

On another note, I’ve been doing more strength training these past couple of weeks because I really want to tone and shape my body so I fit better in my clothes. With all that being said, I stepped on the scale the other day only to find out I’ve gain 11lbs! I was a bit miserable about it as not even 4 months ago I was down 10lbs and fitting real well in my smaller sizes. Had a chit chat with my brother who is a trainer and he told me the scale was not a good idea when I’ve cut back on cardio and increased strength training. He asked me how I was fitting in my clothes and I told him really really well. He said that was because I was losing inches and the increased weight gain was from muscle. Even with all this info, I was still sad about the scale. All that being said, I spent days feeling sad about the scale without even realizing my clothes were fitting better, without even realizing the clothes I couldn’t wear months ago I can now wear with comfort. Ladies we are way to hard on ourselves! Okay, I’m way to hard on myself. I guess I’m still learning to love the skin I’m in and it’s not easy. I have my good days and I have my bad days. I think it’s more good than bad but on the bad days I noticed it’s because I looked at the scale. Don’t get me wrong, the scale makes us aware of where we are at, but don’t weigh in everyday, give the process some time and go off of how you feel and fit in your clothes as opposed to scale that provides a number that doesn’t reflect fit and muscle mass. I’m naturally muscular, I have very strong legs and calves but sometimes I forget the scale doesn’t even care about that.  If your eating right, minding what you put in, taking care of your mental health, getting enough sleep, keeping your stress levels down, that’s all that should matter. Now, this is not to say that I’ve arrived, but I know what to do and I just need to respect the process. Let’s be body positive, ladies. If you don’t like where you’re at, CHANGE IT, but know it’ll take time, effort, and consistency.

I have a bridesmaids dress I need to fit into in the next few weeks so here are a few things I’m doing to make sure this happens:

– Take Measurements weekly
– Workout in the morning
– Eat immediately after working out
– Low carb, high protein
– No Meat, No Sweets
– 60% Strength Training 40% cardio
– 5 Meals a day (Breakfast, Snack, Lunch , Snack, Dinner)
– Weigh in weekly
– At least 8 hours of sleep

I’m hoping my plan works. I’ll keep you updated. I’ve linked the shop where I bought my top and similar earrings. I’ve also linked the exact skirt and shoes. Happy shopping!

Sincerely,

Deidra Craig