I have FINALLY found the smelly sweat eliminator. Secret Clinical Strength Stress Response

Wow. Ok so I received a box full of awesome products from Influenster free of charge in order to give my opinions. The Secret Clinical Strength Deodorant in Serene Citrus is the bomb diggity. I swear this stuff is amazing. Not only does it make me not sweat as much when it gets super hot at work but it also makes me smell amazing when I start to sweat at the gym. I usually just buy whichever deodorant is on sale but not anymore. I am not a lifer for Secret Clinical Strength. The only negative is the price is kind of high (around 10.00) but really worth it when you think of how great it works. I have my free stick permanently in my gym bag.

How do you deal with your #stresssweat?  Check out www.secret.com for more details!

Squats Anybody?

In addition to my weight loss goal I would like to tone up my legs and booty. So I found this squat challenge on Instagram. I did not find it until the 11th so I am pretty behind but I can catch up by doing 68 extra squats per day.

Squats are great because you don't need a machine, weights or anything. Just your own body! Technique is key because it will not be effective unless done correctly.

It should feel like you are going to sit down in a chair behind you. See the photo below for a picture.

I seriously burnt 200 calories (and a lot of sweat) last night from doing 268 squats. What a workout!

Challenge yourself to do some squats today,start with 50 and work your way up.

Eating Healthy at a Restaurant

You CAN eat healthy even when you are eating out. Substitute the soup with a salad, skip the complimentary bread or chips completely, get veggies instead of potato products and do lemon water instead of soda. Check out below. On the left is what I would normally would have eaten and on the right is what I ate tonight. Losing weight the hard and permanent way!

New Shake Recipes

Chocolate Fudge Graham
2 scoops Vi-shape
6-8 ice cubes
8oz milk
1 sheet graham crackers
1 TSP Chocolate Fudge Pudding Powder

Blend and enjoy. So yum! I added 1/3 cup of spinach to give it more protein.

Vanilla Hulk
2 scoops Vi-shape
6-8 ice cubes
8oz milk
4-6 vanilla wafers (low fat)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup raw spinach

Blend and yum.

Treadmill whoop whoop

I purchased a treadmill from Craig's List this morning and I am super excited. It is a 900.00 machine but I got it for way way way less!

I am excited to have it in my dining room so I can workout easier in the mornings without having to go to the gym. I also have lost 5 pounds this week from keeping under 1400 calories a day, working out at least 3 times a week and replacing 1-2 meals a day with my body by vi shakes. :)

Bikini body here I come.

Lisi Cosmetics Lip Gloss

Influenster - My New Obsession.

Olay Fresh Effects Shine Shine Go Away Cleanser

My honest review about Olay Fresh Effects Shine Shine Go Away Cleanser.  I received this product for FREE from Influenster to provide an unbiased opinion.  See what I had to say :)

Kitten

My kitten is so cute!

Pinterest Project

I found this awesome Pinterest project. You just buy one small plate, one large plate and a candle stick holder. I used gorilla glue to bond them together and now I use it as a perfume display. You could also use it as a serving display for food.

I found my plates and candle stick holder at the Salvation Army so I paid less than $3.00 for the whole thing.

Have you tried any projects on Pinterest?

Yummy

I don't know if you guys have tried these but they are delicious! V8 V-Fusion Sparkling. Only 50 calories and it tastes awesome! What is your healthy drink of choice?

Weekend Activities

Hey everyone! I am in Louisiana with the boyfriend to visit his family this weekend. We went to the casino last night and I won some money on my favorite penny machine and today we are lounging around eating crawfish and cupcakes. Yum! How is everyone's weekend going? :)

Buzzagent

Has anyone ever heard of Buzzagent? It's this cool site my sister told me about that you put your likes and dislikes of products in and they send you free stuff to give your opinion. Pretty cool! I'll keep you updated on any items I get to try. Happy Friday!

Below is the amazing homemade cupcakes I made for my coworkers for valentines day!

What's up?!

Hey everyone! I am feeling pretty great lately and working on myself. I have went from 208.5 to 205 in less than 2 weeks so that is awesome. Boyfriend and I went running last weekend and the one before. Mom and Lauren came to visit and we did a painting class and they turned out great. Have you ever done the paint and sip classes ?

Boooooo

Hey all. So I completed the 3 day diet. I even went to a happy hour and watched my friend drink and eat and I sipped on water. I did not cheat at all and ate everything I was supposed to. I lost 4 pounds total. Which I mean...that's not bad for 3 days!

Today, 2 days later, I weighed again and I am back to where I started on the first day. So I gained everything back. Ugh!!!! So frustrating. I even did a walk/run with my boyfriend both today and yesterday and didn't eat bad.

I guess it is back to the good ol' working out and eating better for me. Goes to show there are no quick fixes. Happy Sunday and enjoy the Super Bowl everybody!

Also, isn't that picture of my boyfriend Nd kitty so cute?!?

Update

Hey guys. I am on day 3 of my 3 day diet. I have lost about 3.5 pounds so far And my boss said the last day you will see the most weight come off. I will be happy with 7 pounds but more is awesome. I feel great! I am going to use this diet anytime I stall weightloss wise on my normal exercising and healthy eating.

Below is the scale from this morning and my dinner.

Day 2 of 3 day diet

Hey all! I woke up this morning and weighed in. I lost 1.5 pounds which is ok but I guess I expected more.

I just finished my dinner and so far this has been the easiest diet ever. I guess tomorrow will be much harder but I am ready for the challenge.

Attached is a photo of my dinner and scale pic.

Coffee? No thank you.

I do not like coffee... I don't drink it, I hate the smell and I avoid Starbucks at all costs. (Mostly because of the smell)

However, I found one thing there I LOVE!
The Vanilla Bean Crème

Omg so good. It tastes like a vanilla milk shake. Top with whipped cream and it is only 280 cals for a small.

Not a everyday thing but now I have a special treat to request when people insist I get something on their Starbucks run.

What is your favorite drink there?

Hey all

I am so in love with my new job. My boss is amazing and went to bat to defend me in a misunderstanding. I can't wait to get up every day and go to work. I hope this is my last job ever. I want to work here for the rest of my life.

Also, my company is doing a biggest loser competition and he has a special diet that is by the American heart association. It is used to help patients who need surgery to drop body fat before the procedure. It is 3 days and you can lose up to 10-12 pounds in those 3 days. I am on day one so I will let you know how it goes.

One of the pix below is of the food I had to eat for dinner on this diet. Also a pic of my starting weight.

Whoop I'm ready!

I will be done with my 90 day challenge by April 26th! My goal is to lose 30 pounds. :) legggoooo!

Yay!

I am so excited! I start my new job on Monday! I will be an executive admin to the head of the collections dept. I get to work with a ton of people my age and the job itself seems really fun. Plus a raise on top of it! :)

I've realized lately that I have a lot of shitty people in my life and they don't care much for caring about others.

I'm moving on and replacing them so ill be ok but I feel bad. Soon enough they will be all alone and sad. People... Become a good friend to others before you become your only friend.

Eli and I are cuddling while daddy works.

I'm Ready!

Finally ...my tattoo is healed enough to sweat on it. I can't wait to get back to the gym and my boyfriend is going to do Insanity with me again.

I have been doing these small weekly goals instead of one huge goal. My weekly goal this week is to cut out caffeine, bring my lunch to work and eat my dinner at home. I have been doing great with this!

I know I really need to get back started because of the photo below. The jeans on top are a pair I could wear a year ago. On the bottom is one the ones I wear now. There is a 4.5 inch difference. :( boo. But not for long!

Fruit Pizza

Yum! I made this for my boyfriends brothers birthday. So delicious and simple. Look for the recipe in my recipe section soon!

I can't believe kim and kanye west are having a baby! #kimye Am I the only one who hopes selfishly that she will get a little fat? Lol.

Hmmm lunchy

Chick-fil-a one of my favorites. Why do I want it so bad on Sunday though??!

The Best Restaurant Ever

When I moved to Denver I had very limited taste buds...I mean I ordered chicken strips EVERYWHERE I went to dinner.  Occasionally I would get a chicken sandwich instead but I did not ever get very far from the norm.

I found an ad on Craigs List.org for a food reviewer.  Hmm...broaden my food horizons and get paid for it? Yes!  So I submitted my application and was accepted.  I started with smaller less known local places and as my reviews got their own rave reviews I moved up the foodie totem pole.

I got the opportunity to do a review at Tag Restaurant in Denver, CO. At first I looked at the menu and was scared.  The dishes were so unique I was afraid I would not find anything I would like.  I was soooo wrong.

I died, was re-born a TAG addict.  I went back again about a month later and pretty much atleast once a month from then on.  Each time bringing a new friend with me to experience this food wonder. 

Some of my favorites ...Taco Sushi, Lamb, Bison, Kobe Beef Sliders, Skuna Bay Salmon, Lemongrass Chicken, and they had a Churro dessert with multiple (amazeballs) dipping chocolates.

Chef Troy Guard (owner and head chef) is a great man.  Not only does he come up with these innovative dishes, has been featured in numerous magazines, but he is a great man.  I brought my mom in for dinner and we sat at the chef's counter ...which is the best seat in the house.  It is a small counter (only seats 4) and you can watch the chef's cook and they tell you all about the dishes they are making and give you samples of new things they are trying out. Talk about personal attention.

Anyway...back to my mom date.  It was mom's first time and by then Troy and I were good friends.  He made sure mom felt at home and explained every dish to her and helped her pick out something he knew she would love.  He made conversation with us even though he was obviously very busy and even brought us some of a very expensive Ice Wine (for free) with our dessert.  To top off the night he told my mom that I was a great girl and let me tell you...she tells everyone about our experience at Tag and Troy.  I think she started coming to visit only to go to Tag after that first trip.  She was greatly disappointed when I moved to Texas but I am still trying to convince Mr. Guard to open another place in Dallas.  (Please Please!!!!)

Go try this amazing, beautiful place with a great unique drink selection and a big list of wines.  Not only is the food perfect, but the staff makes sure treated like a Queen.

Click here for the Tag Website

A big miss

I ran out of my conditioner way before my shampoo...does that happen to you? Geez. Anyway... I went on my merry way to Ulta to get something new to try. I found Big Sexy Hair Volumizing Shampoo set on sale and decided to give it a go. After all, I do live in Texas where big hair is a staple. ;)

My experience has not been a great one. I have to use a ton of shampoo to feel like I get my hair cleaned because it does not lather up well at all. The conditioner is very thin which is most likely because it is supposed to help volumize...less weight.

The smell is light and perfumy but not my favorite.  It is also very expensive. My hair was not any more volumized after than it usually was.

I have silky fine strawberry blond hair about to my shoulders.

I'd say pass on this product.

An item you have got to try!

I recently needed a new lip color for date night and I headed to my nearest Walgreens for convenience and options. I have seen the commercials with Emma Stone (love her) and wanted to try the Revlon Lip Butter.

I decided to try color 005 Sugar Frosting. It goes on smooth like chapstick and the color is subtle but pretty. It is not sticky at all and feels very creamy on my lips. It lasts pretty long is a great natural looking alternative to lipstick.

It is about $7.00 but sometimes Walgreens has buy one get one 50% off deals. Try this great product!

These my own opinions and I am not being paid to review them.