30-day Challenge

30-day Challenge

Hello Lovelies!

Today’s post is a personal one and about a challenge that I made to myself.  All my life I have been overweight and have struggled with this. However, in the past 12 months, since having my second child, I decided to educate myself because all this diet fads were not working for me. I was even working out but still didn’t lose weight because you can’t outwork a bad diet. So for the past several months I have changed my diet to mostly plant based foods, because of this I lost 48lbs.  

I am so proud of this accomplishment because it was not through diet pills or a diet fad but through consistent clean eating and making right food choices every day.

Nonetheless, I hit a Plateau and needed to refresh my eating habits since I was starting to pick up old habits again. This is where the 30-day challenge comes in. I realized that I wasn’t pushing myself hard enough and I wasn’t acting like I wanted “it” bad enough. I gave myself a pep talk and decided to cleanse and purge myself for good from all the bad food habits I carried around for the last 33 years of my life. I challenged myself to eat and drink only fruits and vegetables for 30 days, be it in form of a smoothie, juice, cooked or raw fruit and vegetable. This was all I was going to allow my body to ingest.

Below is a little of how the past 4 days have been for me since the challenge began.

Day 1 – I felt good and strong. I made a mental and physical choice to push myself to new weight loss heights and transform my body and mind for good.

Day 2 – I felt exhausted and woke up super hungry even though I was drinking my juices and smoothies. I had a massive headache (body purging itself of all the additives and junk). I caved in around 3pm and had 2 coconut and almond KIND bars. Later on that night I had 2 bites of my husband’s pizza.

Day 3 – I woke up feeling strong again and not so hungry. I realized my mistake on day 2. I needed to ingest more WATER. I filled up on plenty of water and felt pretty full for the better part of the day. That is until I got home and my husband cooked white rice (he makes it so good!). I had a few bites of that and a Chobain yogurt with chocolate and almonds. I felt guilty but I wasn’t going to let that stop me.

Day 4 – I dusted myself off from last night’s “binge” and woke up feeling strong and determined to keep going. I also looked in the mirror and absolutely loved what I saw – Glowing skin, flatter tummy and tons of energy.  I had to get over my mental and physical (hunger pangs) hurdle and keep pressing forward.

The point of this is to show you that even though you fall off a day or two, KEEP GOING! Never give up! There is no progress without struggle. It has NOT been easy and very intense at times. I am constantly trying to renew my mind, I get lots of cravings but instead of reaching out to grab some potato chips or a chocolate bar, I grab a banana or a plum or apple.  It’s all about choices.  I hope this honest account of how my challenge has been going thus far inspires/motivates you to push yourself. It is never too late to start new healthy eating habits.

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe,^[a] all things are possible to him who believes.” Mark 9:23

 

~Ruthy Xxx's

Vintage Tones

Vintage Tones

 

 

There was a big meeting at the office the other day and I knew that I was going to be moving around a lot. Therefore I wanted to wear something that was sophisticated yet had movement. I was quickly drawn to this red & white polka dot skirt because of its A-Line form (without being too flared) and flowy texture. Since I had just gotten back from vacation and was still “bloated” I wanted to wear a shirt that was fitted yet flattered my mid-section. This white cotton peplum top did just the trick. The front ruching and stitching detail worked wonders for me.

Once paired together it had a 1950’s vintage feel and was very flattering. I added red kitten heels just to keep the look simple and classy.

What’s your favorite vintage look?

 

 

Be Blessed and Inspired,

Ruthy, Xxx’s

Tribal Flare

Today’s look is all about styling a print (in this case a tribal Aztec shirt) 3 different ways.  

1.      The first look was styled by itself for a simple yet effortless chic look. You can pair it with a jean skirt like I did or a nice black or Khaki pencil skirt.

2.      For the second look I added a Neon Yellow blazer to give this print a pop of color. I feel that this solid print gives it a sophisticated polished look to an otherwise casual outfit.

3.      The third look is traditional meets modern. I added a Houndstooth blazer (a very traditional fall print) to have a mixed print effect without going overboard. What ties this look together is that the black print pulls from each other.  This is a bold look and may not be everyone’s cup of tea, so if you’re going to wear this look wear it with confidence.

I hope these 3 style ideas have helped you – Simple, Pop & Bold! Also, if you’re looking for staple pieces in your wardrobe, blazers are a must have as they add flavor, color and sophistication to any look and can be used all year round.

Be blessed and inspired.

~Ruthy Xxx’s